9 Ancient Lead Bullae and Pendant Weights, Roman to Early Islamic

Near East, Roman to Islamic period. A compact assemblage of nine small cast objects, eight in lead and the darkest a copper-lead alloy, gathered from the long Near Eastern tradition of sealing, weighing and adornment. The group includes a lozenge-shaped pendant weight with an integral suspension loop, its face framed by concentric raised borders and beaded ornament; a squared plaque bearing worn stamped characters; several bun- and disc-form sealings with cord channels or piercings, one still showing a cross-hatched device; a thick annular bead; and a small triangular fitting. Such lead bullae were crimped over cords to secure bales, documents and revenue goods, while pierced and looped examples served as standardized weights or as amulets. Surfaces carry the pale grey-white carbonate crust typical of long burial. Miniature in scale throughout. Lead sealing is one of the most persistent bureaucratic technologies of the eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. A soft blank was threaded onto a cord, then pinched between the jaws of a bullotirion or struck with a hand punch, so that breaking the seal necessarily destroyed the evidence of custody. Roman and Byzantine administrators used them for tax bales, military rations and imperial correspondence; Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid offices continued the practice largely unchanged, substituting Arabic legends and pious formulae for Greek monograms and figural busts. Lead was equally the metal of choice for commercial weights, being dense, cheap and easy to adjust by shaving or adding, and a suspension loop marks a piece intended for a balance beam or for wear as a portable standard. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 204849

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