An Official Four Kerátion Brass Weight (5th-6th Cent. CE)

A Byzantine Period brass weight with a silver inlay indicating a weight of four Kerátion (English: carat; Latin: siliqua), for the weighing of gold coins. It measures 13.0 mm × 12.9 mm × 1.6 mm and weighs 0.60 g. The weight is made of a brass alloy (78% copper and 22% zinc) and bears a silver inlay with the Greek letters “ΚΔ”. The Kappa designating the keration weight unit and the Delta signifying the number four. Square copper-alloy weights of this type were predominantly manufactured during the fifth and sixth centuries. The weight was probably issued by an official in Constantinople, as evidenced by the rare brass alloy and the fine workmanship.