Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. An elegant bronze and lead steelyard weight depicting a goddess, most likely Minerva, shown wearing a peplos with arched attachments at the shoulders. The goddess's head is turned, looking into the distance, with her wavy hair fantastically styled into a twist that wraps around the entirety of her head. Minerva was the Roman interpretation of the Greek goddess Athena; the Romans did not stress her warrior aspects, but instead her wisdom and knowledge. The bronze here is cast around a lead center, giving the piece a surprising weight; a perforation through the top of the head allowed it to be looped through a chain and hung from a balance. Size: 2.55" W x 3.7" H (6.5 cm x 9.4 cm); 5.25" H (13.3 cm) on included custom stand. Steelyard balances were used to weight loads by moving a counterweight along the beam until it balanced and then reading the incised numeral. Vitruvius describes them and their function in his De Architectura, Book X, 3-4. See this complete example with a weight from Christie's: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-late-roman-bronze-steelyard-balance-and-5060684-details.aspx Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #137297