NLM-C72B3D: Early Medieval Weight

Rights Holder: North Lincolnshire Museum
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WEIGHT

Unique ID: NLM-C72B3D

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Awaiting validation Find awaiting validation

Lead weight. Cast oval lightly plano-convex object of lentoid form with a central longitudinal ridge on its convex side. The object is nicked at one end; the finder kindly suggests the loss of a loop from this site, though the provision would have been slight to enable the secure suspension of the object. Lightly patinated. The mass might suggest this to represent three units of 4.43gms, as used in the Viking 'kingdom' of York and Dublin for silver bullion transactions, or one half of an ore/ora, the contemporary [underweight equivalent of the] ounce.  Suggested date: possibly Early Medieval, 850-950.

Length: 26.2mm, Width: 16mm, Thickness: 5.6mm, Weight: 13.03gms

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 actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Ascribed Culture: Viking style
Date from: Circa AD 850
Date to: Circa AD 950

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Length: 26.2 mm
Width: 16 mm
Thickness: 5.6 mm
Weight: 13.03 g

Discovery dates

Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 6th August 2017

Personal details

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Other reference numbers

Other reference: NLM36802

Materials and construction

Primary material: Lead
Completeness: Uncertain

Spatial metadata

Region: Yorkshire and the Humber (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: North Yorkshire (County)
District: Hambleton (District)
To be known as: Thormanby

Spatial coordinates


Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.

Discovery metadata

Method of discovery: Metal detector
General landuse: Cultivated land

References cited

No references cited so far.

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Timeline of associated dates

Audit data

Recording Institution: NLM
Created: 6 years ago
Updated: 3 years ago

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