Rights Holder: North Lincolnshire Museum
CC License:
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Unique ID: NLM-4A8600
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Lead weight. Cast cylindrical object with a central moulded aperture of diameter 4.5mm, and with five integrally cast round-ended lugs, c.8mm wide and 8-11mm long, which were probably formed as projections from one end of the cylinder, and are now pressed flat against its sides. That end without lugs appears lightly bevelled. The mass may suggest this to represent sixteen sub-units (of 4.07gms) of the Scandinavian system for the measurement of silver bullion. Against this suggestion, David Haldenby kindly comments that mensuration weights of the period were not usually perforated (pers. comm,; cf. items catalogued in Haldenby, D. and Richards, J.D. 2016, Internet Archaeology no. 42). Suggested date: Unknown, Early Medieval to Medieval, 850-1500.
Diameter (clear of lugs): 21.2mm, Thickness: 15.5mm, Weight: 65.24gms.
Notes:
The subject of Viking Age metrology is discussed for Flixborough, North Lincolnshire by Wastling 2009 (Wastling, L.M., 'Lead and lead alloy mensuration weights', in Evans, D.H. and Loveluck, C., Life and Economy at Early Flixborough c.AD600-1000, Excavations at Flixborough volume 2, Oxbow, Oxford and Oakville, pages 422-424). Wastling draws on Wallace 1987 for weights from Dublin using a module of 4.43gms (Wallace, P.F. 'The Economy and Commerce of Viking Age Dublin', in K. Duwel et al, Untersuchengen zu Handel und Verkher der vor- und fruhgeschichtlichen Zeit in Mittel- und Nordeuropoa, Teil IV. Der Handel der Karolingerund Wikingerzeit, Gottingen, and on Kruse (1988, 1992) for weights of a more general Scandinavian currency using a module of 4.07gms (Kruse, S. 1988, 'Ingots and Weights in Viking Age Silver Hoards', World Archaeology 20, 265-381; Kruse, S. 1992, 'Late Saxon Balances and Weights from England', Medieval Archaeology 36, 67-95. Kruse bases calculations on Nielsen 1983, on Hedeby, to arrive at the figure of 4.07gms (Nielsen, H-O, 1983, 'Rontgenologische und metrische Untersuchungen an zwei Kugel-Gewichtssatzen aus Haithabu', Berichte uber die Ausgrabungen in Haithabu 18, 109-120, Neumunster. These details were requested by Helen Geake, though this reporter regrets his lack of facility with the imposition of appropriate accents for the Continental sources cited by Wastling. These appear in their proper form in the bibliography of the Flixborough volume.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: UNKNOWN
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Period to: MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 850
Date to: Circa AD 1500
Quantity: 1
Thickness: 15.5 mm
Weight: 65.24 g
Diameter: 21.2 mm
Date(s) of discovery: Saturday 11th October 2014
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Other reference: NLM26827a
Primary material: Lead
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.