Barrel-shaped Weight

2000 BC - 1600 BC
Hematite
Original Site Unknown
2.1 cm x 5.4 cm x 2.0 cm
A9789

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Barrel-shaped Weight

Mesopotamia's complex economic system required standardized units of measure. Most weights were made of stone, and the most common type of stone used was hematite. Some weights are simple geometric forms, while others are in the shape of animals.

Collected by

Henri Frankfort, Field Director of the Iraq Expedition
Purchased 1930

Suggested Readings

Hodges, Henry. Technology in the Ancient World. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1992.

Moss, Carol. Science in Ancient Mesopotamia. New York: Franklin Watts, 1989.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.

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