Porphyry pyramidal weight with octopus decoration



Porphyry pyramidal weight with octopus decoration

Λ26
Stone (Porphyry)
Chipped
Height: 39 cm. Width at base : 26 cm. Thickness of base: 13 cm. Diameter of hole: 6 cm.
Knossos
Palace - West Magazines (Magazine XV)
Late Bronze Age, Neopalatial period. Late Minoan ΙΒ period:
1500-1450 BC:
Gallery:
V
Case:
50
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). The New Palaces. The zenith of Minoan civilisation
Trade and foreign contacts. Minoan Thalassocracy. International commerce and cultural influences
Description
Pyramidal porphyry object weighing 29 kg, with a large attachment hole. It has been interpreted as a weight for measuring large quantities of goods and raw materials and certifying the corresponding weight of standardised copper ingots, as its weight matches units of the Minoan system of weights and measures. It bears relief decoration of two octopuses, their tentacles covering the whole surface.
Bibliography:
Evans, A.J. "The Palace of Knossos. Provisional report of the excavations for the year 1901". Annual of the British School at Athens VII (1900-1), 42-3, fig. 12.
Author:
I. N.


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