Lot 47
Ancient Near East, Old Assyrian, ca. 1900 to 1750 BCE, found in Anatolia. These three rare Old Assyrian stone weights, probably part of a larger set, were found in central Anatolia (modern Turkey). Carefully calibrated and carved from a dense, dark brown hematite into elegant elongated ovoids, the weights were an essential tool for merchants to carry on their trade almost 4,000 years ago between ancient cultures separated by great distances. They date from the beginning of the second millennium BCE, a time in the evolution of long distance trade that was pivotal to the development of Western Civilization and the globalization that we know today.Size of largest: 1.75" L x 0.5" W (4.4 cm x 1.3 cm)
The weights likely originate from a karum, one of the Assyrian trading colonies in Anatolia which existed for about 250 years. Perhaps the most famous karum was located in the ancient City of Kanesh (modern Kultepe) where a large archive of nearly 23,000 clay tablets was discovered with cuneiform writing. The tablets included detailed transactions as well as personal letters from merchants to their wives and family sent to and from Assyria's capital city Ashur, over 500 miles to the southeast. The colonies were established to acquire raw materials which Mesopotamia lacked such as copper (needed for bronze weapons and tools) as well as stone and timber for construction. The Assyrians had a surplus of grain to trade including barley and emmer wheat as well as woolen textiles from Babylon, famous throughout the ancient Near East. This long distance trade carried out by donkey caravans—sometimes with hundreds of pack animals—was beneficial for both ancient peoples.
Because money in the form of coinage would not be invented for another thousand years, these weights are small and would have been used to weigh out precious metals such as silver or gold in one pan of a balance scale in exchange for commodities purchased. The Assyrians and Babylonians not only used the decimal system for counting, but the sexagesimal system as well; therefore 1, 10, 60 (for 60 minutes in an hour), 100 and 360 (for 360 degrees in a circle) were important numbers. The following weight denominations were used: 1 shiqlu (Shekel in the Bible) equals 8.40 grams ± .34 grams; 60 shiqlu equals 1 manu (Mina in the Bible; just over 1 pound) which is 504 grams ± 20 grams. The denominations of these three ancient weights are: large 16.1 grams, medium 5.6 grams and small 1.5 grams.
The famous Law Code of Hammurabi (circa 1750 BC), in addition to containing such well-known laws as "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" in punishment for specific crimes, also included set exchange rates for various commodities in ancient Mesopotamia, just as we have exchange rates for the U.S. dollar, British pound and Euro today.
Provenance: ex-California, USA Museum of Ancient Art
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#120988
- Condition: One is repaired in the center; others are intact. All have light surface scoring.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |