Roman Bronze Steelyard Balance / Statera

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A finely preserved example of a cast-bronze steelyard balance (known as a statera) consisting of a lengthy rectangular beam bearing one discoid terminal and one baluster terminal. The scale section of the beam is incised with evenly spaced notches and Roman numerals denotive of weight. The unabraded frontal section features one suspension hook looped through the top, one hook hanging from a ring loop, and a trio of slender hooks draped from stretched bronze wires. Staterae like this example were used to weigh loads by repositioning a counterweight along the beam until it balanced where a numeral could be measured. Vitruvius describes them and their function in his De Architectura, Book X, 3-4. Size: 11.3" L x 10.6" H (28.7 cm x 26.9 cm)

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 22.139.14

Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000

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#159895
Condition Report: Slight bending to hooks and hanging support rods, with abrasions to balance beam, and softening to some inscribed dash marks and Roman numerals, otherwise intact and excellent. Great patina throughout.