Commercial Byzantine scale weights and an acorn shaped steelyard weight

A package of scale weights arrived today. It was a long wait for the weights due to export papers. In hand, 3 of the 5 weights match ones in my reference books. One of the weights has a size & letter combination I do not find in my reference books (AR). Another weight was listed as a plumb bob, but I think the acorn was part of a Steelyard scale.

Byzantine Trade Weight Group; 7th-10th century AD

A group of four bronze weights each with an incised cross and two capital letters to one face. Fine condition. I do not have a reference for the symbols on the largest weight. They could be flower decorations or a symbol to identify the person who issued the weights.

From inscriptions, the four weights are:

1.       Quadrans, 3 ounces, Γ· Γ; (81.9 grams std per Bendall1) 

2.       Sextans, 2 ounces, Γ Β; (54.6 grams std per Bendall)

3.       Uncia, 1 ounce, Γ A; (27.2 grams std per Bendall)

4.       Uncia, 1 ounce, A R; (letters not in Bendall, Hendin2 or Kisch3)

           

#	Denomination	Weight Grams	Dimension mm	On Weight
1	Quadrans, 3 ounce	73.25	34-33-8 LWT	Γ· Γ
2	Sextans, 2 ounce	45.75	30.5-29.5-6.5 LWT	Γ Β
3	Uncia, 1 ounce	26.53	24.5 – dia 7.5 tall	Γ A
4	Uncia, 1 ounce	27.53	22 wide 8.2 tall	A R

Roman Acorn Weight - Scale or Mason's Plumb Bob?

Roman Acorn Weight, 1st-3rd century AD – It could be a scale weight or a Mason's Plumb Bob. A similar weight was found with a steelyard scale by archaeologists operating in the ancient city of Nea Paphos on Cyprus.⁴

A mason's plumb bob weight in the form of an acorn, bronze shell made in two parts (the acorn cap & nut), details added to the cap, rectangular suspension loop above; lead core, small tip below. Part of the bronze shell and lead filling are missing. Someone attempted to remove the cap.

136 grams

52mm tall with 27mm diameter cap and 23mm diameter nut

Fair condition, part of casing absent.

Provenance - Property of a Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK, collector; found Hampshire, UK.

1.  Byzantine Weights, an Introdudtion by Simon Bendall - the table on pg. 8 lists weights as either commercial or coin. He also breaks weights by time period: Roman to Byzantine. These weights have Γ· which puts them in the commercial Byzantine category.
2. Ancient Scale Weights by David Hendin
3. Scales and Weights by Bruno Kisch
4. A bronze steelyard with an acorn-shaped counterweight from the Paphos Agora, by Maciej Wacławik; Studies in Ancient Art and Civilization 20