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Copyright credit: Ashmolean Museum / Louise Willocx
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Copyright credit: Ashmolean Museum / Louise Willocx
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Copyright credit: Ashmolean Museum / Louise Willocx
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Copyright credit: Ashmolean Museum / Louise Willocx
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Copyright credit: Meyer 2001–03
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Copyright credit: Meyer 2001–03
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE WEIGHT
Authority
Mint
Callatis
Denomination
1/4 Mina
Material
Lead
Manufacture
Cast
Shape
Square
Length
4.35 cm
Width
4.35 cm
Height
0.90 cm
Metrology
| Mass (g) | Mass (grain) | Date of measurement | Reference | fragmented | cleaned | reference weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120.50 | - | Sept. 3, 2019 | Autopsy Louise Willocx | No | No | Yes |
| 120.46 | - | - | Meyer 2001–03 | No | No | No |
Iconography
| Symbol | Technique | Direction | Position | Number | Synecdoche |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caduceus | Relief | RIGHT |
Wear
Worn
Corrosion
Lightly corroded
Handle
Yes
Suspension hole
Yes
Recarved mould
No
Recarved weight
No
Intentionally destroyed
No
Archaeological description
Ashmolean Museum: Lead weight.
Meyer 2001–03: Callatian weight of the autonomous period. Square lead weight, 120.46 gr., 4.12 x 4.39 x 1.59 cm. Obv. Caduceus r., [T]ET above, MN[A] in retrograde below. All within narrow raised border. Rev. Obscured, but probably blank. AN 2004.36. One-quarter mina. The remaining part of a handle (?) at the lower left corner is bent towards the obverse. A cavity was pierced into the field in the area of the weight inscription, without however fully perforating the object, and the lower part of the caduceus is worn away. A layer of sinter and light brown lead oxide disfigures the reverse. The caduceus is a regular symbol on Callatian weights, although it usually appears in combination with Herakles' club. A similar weight from Callatis, with the same combination of caduceus between inscriptions on the reverse, was published by Moisil, but his specimen is of a different denomination and features a facing deity (Hermes?) on the obverse. The attribution of our weight to Callatis is by default (i.e. for want of closer parallels), and hence tentative.
Autoptic examination: Lead weight, square shape; completely folded handle on the lower left corner and suspension hole? on the upper left corner. Signs of wear and corrosion: chippings; the right edge is damaged: strokes and hollows; cut on the right of the handle; small bumps and strokes on the reverse. On the obverse, frame and legend in relief: [T]ET and MN[A]? or []HM. In the center, depiction of an horizontal caduceus on relief. The reverse is blank.
Meyer 2001–03: Callatian weight of the autonomous period. Square lead weight, 120.46 gr., 4.12 x 4.39 x 1.59 cm. Obv. Caduceus r., [T]ET above, MN[A] in retrograde below. All within narrow raised border. Rev. Obscured, but probably blank. AN 2004.36. One-quarter mina. The remaining part of a handle (?) at the lower left corner is bent towards the obverse. A cavity was pierced into the field in the area of the weight inscription, without however fully perforating the object, and the lower part of the caduceus is worn away. A layer of sinter and light brown lead oxide disfigures the reverse. The caduceus is a regular symbol on Callatian weights, although it usually appears in combination with Herakles' club. A similar weight from Callatis, with the same combination of caduceus between inscriptions on the reverse, was published by Moisil, but his specimen is of a different denomination and features a facing deity (Hermes?) on the obverse. The attribution of our weight to Callatis is by default (i.e. for want of closer parallels), and hence tentative.
Autoptic examination: Lead weight, square shape; completely folded handle on the lower left corner and suspension hole? on the upper left corner. Signs of wear and corrosion: chippings; the right edge is damaged: strokes and hollows; cut on the right of the handle; small bumps and strokes on the reverse. On the obverse, frame and legend in relief: [T]ET and MN[A]? or []HM. In the center, depiction of an horizontal caduceus on relief. The reverse is blank.
Autopsy
Yes
INSCRIPTION
| Language | Technique | Legend type |
|---|---|---|
| Greek | Relief | Denomination, Unidentified |
Fac simile
[T]ET
MN[A]? or []HM?
Edition
[T]έτ(αρτον) | MN[A]? or []HM?
Monogram
ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT
Findspot (region)
Findspot (site)
context
CIRCUMSTANCES OF ACQUISITION
Region
City
Date of first acquisition
Dec. 31, 1996
circumstances
Meyer and Moreno 2004: In 1996 a private collector of ancient coins received a posted parcel containing 43 metal objects, supposedly lead weights from ancient Istria on the western shore of the Black Sea. These came unsolicited from an antiquities dealer based outside Britain, and given that they would otherwise most likely have been dispersed on the open market, the recipient notified the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and deposited the package at the Department of Antiquities.
DATING OF THE WEIGHT
Curatorial Section
GREEK
Time frame
FROM
-400
TO
-100
Comments on Chronology
COLLECTION HISTORY
Collection
| Name | Date of acquisition | Inventory number |
|---|---|---|
| Ashmolean Museum (Oxford) | Dec. 31, 1996 | AN 2004.36 |
Bibliography
| Reference | Page/Column | Reference (number) | Plate / Figure | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meyer 2001–03 | 57, 73 | 25 | fig. 25 | None |
VARIA
Additional comment
Mint: Callatis?
Meyer 2001–03: A similar weight from Callatis, with the same combination of caduceus between inscriptions on the reverse, was published by Moisil, but his specimen is of a different denomination and features a facing deity (Hermes?) on the obverse: Moisil 1957, 270, no. 20, pl. 4. 3 (one-third mina, 167.5 gr.).
Meyer 2001–03: A similar weight from Callatis, with the same combination of caduceus between inscriptions on the reverse, was published by Moisil, but his specimen is of a different denomination and features a facing deity (Hermes?) on the obverse: Moisil 1957, 270, no. 20, pl. 4. 3 (one-third mina, 167.5 gr.).
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