Ancient Roman Judaea Cast Bronze Barrel-Shaped Commercial Weight — 1 Uncia Standard (29.82g — c. 1st–4th Century AD)

Authenticity & Guarantee

• Certification: Certified Authentic — includes signed Certificate of Authenticity (COA) with full provenance documentation.

• Provenance: Ex-private European collection, legally acquired from international sales; Roman Judaea / Holy Land Sphere.

Item Specifications & Exact Dimensions

• Object: Cast Bronze Commercial Trade Weight / Scale Weight

• Culture / Period: Roman Imperial Era (Roman Judaea / Levantine Commercial Sphere)

• Date Range: Circa 1st Century AD – 4th Century AD (c. 100 – 400 AD)

• Exact Mass: 29.82 grams (Matches the official Roman Uncia standard)

• Estimated Dimensions: Approx. 20 mm diameter × 15 mm height

• Material: Cast Bronze (Copper Alloy / High-Density Leaded Bronze)

• Form & Architecture: Heavy barrel-shaped / truncated biconical profile engineered with a faceted mid-section for non-slip handling on market balance scales; flat top and bottom faces feature precise lathe-turned concentric circular grooves

• Condition: Exceptional, 100% complete ancient condition. Sharp turned lathe rings, solid heavy density, preserved under a rich olive-green to warm chocolate bronze patina with light sandy-tan earthen burial encrustations. Free of modern restoration or tooling.

Roman Metrology & The Uncia Weight Standard

Across the urban market squares (agorae or macella) of Roman Judaea—including Jerusalem, Caesarea Maritima, and Tiberias—trade in precious spices, metals, medicinal powders, and coins relied on strict weight standards. The fundamental Roman mass unit was the libra (pound), which was divided into 12 equal ounces (unciae). A single theoretical Roman uncia weighed approximately 27.28g to 29.8g depending on provincial calibration and copper alloy composition. At exactly 29.82 grams, this artifact represents a full-weight, official 1-Uncia commercial market standard.

Lathe-Turned Concentric Rings & Anti-Fraud Measures

The crisp circular grooves cut into the flat top and bottom faces served a crucial anti-counterfeiting function. In ancient bazaars, dishonest merchants often attempted to clip or shave metal off the edges of official bronze weights to tilt balance scales in their favor. Lathe-turned concentric rings proved to municipal market inspectors (agoranomoi or aediles) that the surface of the weight remained pristine and untampered with.

Typological Analysis & Exact Classification

• Primary Class: Roman Commercial Equipment / Marketplace Metrology

• Sub-Class: Lathe-Turned Concentric Ring Barrel-Shaped Uncia Class

• Manufacturing Technique: High-density bronze lost-wax casting with lathe-turned concentric face detailing.

Comparable Archaeological Examples & Museum Accession Numbers

• Israel Museum, Jerusalem: Roman period commercial scale weights recovered from Judaean market strata.

• British Museum (Accession No. 1856,0701.2290): Roman bronze barrel-shaped weight with turned concentric face rings.

• Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession No. 74.51.5350): Roman Imperial copper alloy commercial weight standards

TRN-1-7