Rights Holder: North Lincolnshire Museum
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Unique ID: NLM-834629
Object type certainty: Possibly
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Lead weight. Cast conical weight with a central longitudinal moulded tapering aperture of diameter 6mm to 3mm, wider at the base. The mass may suggest this to represent six units of 4.07gms, as were used in Viking Age Scandinavia for silver bullion transactions. The value may also equate to that of the contemporary broad equivalent to the ounce, the ore or ora. Against this suggestion, David Haldenby kindly notes that weights of the period with perforations would be unusual (pers. comm; citing items catalogued in Haldenby, D. and Richards, J.D., Internet Archaeology no. 42). The conical shape is also known for playing pieces of the period, and these were sometimes used on a board equipped with peg holes, so this object might also have served as such with a peg inserted. Finally, it might be an example of a spindle whorl, perhaps of Walton Rogers form A1. though the spindle hole would seem too small to serve its purpose. A use as a fishing weight may be equally possible. Suggested date: Unknown, Early Medieval to Medieval, 850-1500.
Diameter: 17.3mm, Height: 15.6mm, Weight: 24.13gms.
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
Height: 15.6 mm
Weight: 24.13 g
Diameter: 17.3 mm
Date(s) of discovery: Tuesday 12th May 2015
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Other reference: NLM28918
Grid reference source: Centred on field
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
No references cited so far.