Lead weight

This lead weight was found at the site of the Roman fort at Newstead in Roxburghshire. It dates from between 160 and 180 AD. The weight would have been used for weighing items on a balance.

The weight is inscribed with an 'S', an abbreviation for 'semis', meaning half a pound.

The Roman world had a highly standardised system for weighing goods. They were weighed either on a balance from which pans were suspended or on a steelyard. The unit of weight was sometimes inscribed on the weights.

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