Diotimos, agoranomos (Berytos)

Berytos

1/16 Mina

Lead

Cast

Polygon (pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, etc.)

3.35 cm

5.50 cm

0.45 cm

Mass (g)	Mass (grain)	Date of measurement	Reference	fragmented	cleaned	reference weight
36.40	-	-	Auction Archaeological Center 2007	No	No	Yes
36.44	-	-	Kushnir-Stein 2002	No	No	No

Symbol	Technique	Direction	Position	Number	Synecdoche
Dolphin	Relief
Trident	Relief
Sign of Tanit	Relief
Lattice pattern	Relief
Egg and dart pattern	Relief

Sawaya 2023: Pentagonal lead cast weight with a suspension loop. Dimensions: 50 (45 without the loop) × 33.5 × 4,5 mm. Mass: 36.44 g. Preservation: very good. Kushnir-Stein 2002, p. 227-228; Kushnir-Stein 2005, p. 18*; Auction Archaeological Center (April 4, 2007, p. 15-16, no. 412); Finkielsztejn 2012, p. 142, no. 32; Finkielsztejn 2015, p. 82, no. 124; Pondera #14504 (visited January 25, 2022). Denomination: sixteenth mina. Obverse: dolphin entwined round vertical trident (in center), L H–K | Σ Δ–Ι | Ο–ΤΙ | Μ–ΟΥ | –ƑI, ‘Year 228, (under the supervision) of Diotimos, monogram , sixteenth mina’, all within a simple pentagonal frame surrounded by a raised pentagonal border with a series of semi-circles from the inside, and lattice pattern from the outer bevelled side. Reverse: lattice pattern. Agoranomos: Diotimos. Findspot: unknown. Acquisition: A. Spaer Collection, inventory number W-111; Auction Archaeological Center (April 4, 2007). Photographic credits: Kushnir-Stein 2002, no. 3.
Auction Archaeological Center 2007: Phoenicia, Berytus (Beirut). A Hellenistic Period non-regular pentagon lead weight with a hanging loop and a raised and striped border, 36.4 gr., 5.5×3.35 cm., 0.45 cm. thick. The center depicts a dolphin entwined around a trident, with the symbol of the Punic goddess Tanit at the lower left corner. The Greek inscription reads: LΗΚ/Σ ΔΙ/ΟΤΙ/ΜΟΥ “Year 228 (under the supervision) of Diotimos”. Year 228 according to the Seleucid era of 312 is equal to 85/4 BC. Two characters at the lower right corner are of unclear meaning. The reverse has a network pattern. Good condition. Rare. For a similar weight from Berytus depicting the trident (Beirut Museum, inv. No. 4769), see: Liban, l’autre rive, p.162. (A. Spaer coll. no. W-111 ). Published by Alla Kushnir-Stein, 2002, no. 3.
Kushnir-Stein 2002: This is a rectangular lead weight with a loop at its top; the upper part below the loop is triangular. The weight's length (without the loop) is 4.5 cm.; the diameter of the loop is 0.5 cm. The weight is 3.35 cm. wide, 0.45 cm. thick and weighs 36.44 gm. Its reverse has a network pattern. The side with the inscription has a raised border with a decoration of semi-circles on the side facing the inscription; the outer bevelled side of the border is decorated by a network pattern. In the centre of the obverse there is a dolphin entwined around a trident. The inscription in four lines on both sides of the trident reads: LΗΚ|Σ ΔΙ|ΟΤΙ|ΜΟΥ, 'Year 228, (under the supervision) of Diotimos'. On the left side under the fourth line there is the symbol of Tanit; on the right there are two letters.

No

Language	Technique	Legend type
Greek	Relief	Authority, Date, Denomination

(Ἔτους) ηκ|σ´ Δι|οτί|μου | {Sign of Tanit} ϝι’

Finkielsztejn: ϝι’ (=16?) [rather than ηι’ (=18)? or 3 signs; Phoenician?]

GREEK

FROM -85 TO -84

SE 228 = 85/84 BCE

Name	Date of acquisition	Inventory number
Antiquities Trade	April 4, 2007	None
Spaer Collection	None	W-111

Reference	Page/Column	Reference (number)	Plate / Figure	Comment
Kushnir-Stein 2002a	227–228	3	fig. 3	None
SEG 52	None	1568	None	(non vidi)
BÉ 2003	666	571	None	None
Kushnir-Stein 2005	18*	None	None	None
SEG 55	None	1629, 4	None	(non vidi)
Auction Archaeological Center 2007b	15–16	412	fig. 412	None
Finkielsztejn 2012	142	32	None	None
Gatier 2014	153–154	None	None	None
Finkielsztejn 2015	80–82	124	pl. 4/124	None
IGLS VIII/1	None	None	None	None
Sawaya 2023	92–93, 112	20	fig. 20	None

Kushnir-Stein 2002: The meaning of the letters in the lower right field is unclear. On the weight of Berytus dated year 184 (129/8 BCE; 55.8 gm.) there is a letter M standing alone in the right field (Rouvier 1897: 369-372). This letter has been interpreted as an indication of weight. However, on the weight of year 161 (152/1 BCE; 267 .8 gm.; Babelon and Blanchet 1895: no. 2250) one finds the letters MZ, which seem difficult to reconcile with this interpretation. These letters, as well as those on our weight, may thus have related to administrative matters rather than to the units of weight.
Kushnir-Stein 2005: On yet another weight from Berytus, from the year 85/4 BCE (Kushnir-Stein 2002: 227-228), the inscription ends with the letters {blank}. The first letter is similar to one of the forms of the digamma (6), while the second, if one ignores the short line above the vertical bar, may be understood as iota (10). The number, then, would be 16; the line above the iota would, as in the previous case, indicate that this part of the inscription is a number. The item weighs 36.44 g, which is indeed equivalent to 1/16 of the Seleucid mina.