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Ancient Byzantine Bronze Round 1-Nomisma Coin Weight (4.13g — c. 5th–7th 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; Byzantine / Late Roman Sphere.
Item Specifications & Exact Dimensions
Object: Cast Bronze Circular Coin Weight (Exagium Solidi / 1-Nomisma Standard)
Culture / Period: Byzantine Empire (Early Byzantine Era)
Date Range: Circa 5th Century AD – 7th Century AD (c. 400 – 650 AD)
Mass / Exact Weight: 4.13 grams (calibrated to the 1-Nomisma / Solidus coin standard)
Material: Cast Bronze (Copper Alloy)
Form & Architecture: Thick circular cast disc weight with softly beveled perimeter edges; smooth unadorned (anepigraphic) face geometry engineered for high-precision balance scales in ancient money-changing stalls
Condition: Exceptional, complete ancient condition. Solid structural core, full circular disc profile, preserved under a rich emerald-green malachite patina with thick, authentic pale sandy-tan burial encrustations across both faces. Free of modern restoration or tooling.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT & TYPOLOGICAL LORE
Byzantine Coin Metrology & Market Trade
In the commercial hubs of the Early Byzantine Empire (Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, and Levantine ports), circular bronze weights served as indispensable tools for money changers (trapezitai) and trade officials. Because precious metal coinage was routinely subjected to rim clipping, sweating, or wear during circulation, high-value transactions required merchants to weigh coins individually on scales rather than accept them at face value.
The 4.13g Nomisma Calibration
At 4.13 grams, this piece aligns precisely with the slightly circulated exchange threshold for the 1-Nomisma (Solidus) standard. Official municipal foundries produced these dense copper-alloy disc weights to maintain public trust in market exchange, providing a standardized benchmark for testing coin weights across Mediterranean trade routes.
Typological Analysis & Exact Classification
Primary Class: Byzantine Metrology / Circular Coin Weight (Exagium)
Sub-Class: Anepigraphic Round 1-Nomisma Weight Class
Manufacturing Technique: Cast copper alloy circular disc with hand-lathed edge finishing.
Comparable Archaeological Examples & Museum Accession Numbers
British Museum (Accession No. 1980,1202.15): Early Byzantine round bronze coin weight for 1 nomisma.
Dumbarton Oaks Collection (Washington D.C., Inv. No. BZ.1962.35): Byzantine circular bronze 1-solidus coin weight.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession No. 66.1.15): Late Roman / Early Byzantine bronze round trade weight.
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