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Obverse: Helmeted head of Athena r., helmet adorned with olive leaves (frontal eye developing some profile characteristics) Reverse: Owl standing r. holding olive sprig in talons; to l., olive sprig.

Obverse: Helmeted head of Athena r., helmet adorned with olive leaves (frontal eye developing some profile characteristics) Reverse: Owl standing r. holding olive sprig in talons; to l., olive sprig.

Museum wall text: “Steelyards were used to weigh commodities in the ancient marketplace. The beam, with units of measurement inscribed on three faces, is calibrated for three different scales: one weighed objects up to 13 pounds, another up to 34,…

This fifth- to seventh-century steelyard weight in the shape of an empress represents the most common type of weight used with early Byzantine steelyard scales (1). Earlier scholarship proposed that each weight represented a specific Byzantine…

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
This fifth- to seventh-century steelyard weight in the shape of an empress represents the most common type of weight used with early Byzantine…