Item number: A3609／A3611／A3612／A3613／A3615／A3616／A3617／A3618／A3619

Year: circa AD 1000-1300

Material: Bronze

Size: 10.2 x 10.5 x 6.6 mm (A3609)／14.1 x 14.1 x 12.5 mm (A3610)／23.6 x 23.9 x 20.0 mm (A3611)／14.7 x 15.5 x 15.0 mm (A3612)／15.8 x 15.6 x 7.0 mm (A3613)／12.7 x 11.5 x 4.8 mm (A3615)／12.7 x 13.0 x 4.5 mm (A3616)／11.5 x 11.7 x 6.1 mm (A3617)／12.5 x 11.2 x 5.2 mm (A3618)／10.3 x 11.5 x 5.8 mm (A3619)

Weight: 4.15 g (A3609)／14.0 g (A3610)／58.9 g (A3611)／29.2 g (A3612)／14.55 g (A3613)／5.95 g (A3615)／5.95 g (A3616)／5.95 g (A3617)／5.8 g (A3618)／5.85 g (A3619)

Manufactured by: Damascus Mint (A3616)

Provenance: Stephen Album Rare Coins 2025

These weights were most likely cast during the Fatimid and Ayyubid period and were probably used for the weighing of coins.

The bronze weights can be classified according to their form into two main series: the dinar series and the dirham series, which are assumed to correspond to the contemporary gold and silver coinage respectively, maintaining a proportional relationship in their weights.

Within the dinar series, the polyhedral type of weight has been described as “truncated segmented spheres” or “faceted spheres.” If the distance between the two larger flat surfaces is regarded as the height, then the height is smaller than the diameter, the difference being more pronounced than in the weights of the dirham series. The upper and lower surfaces may be plain, or decorated with a circle enclosing a central dot, or alternatively with a shallow bowl-shaped depression. When inscriptions occur, they are usually stamped on one or both of these polar surfaces. Around the body of the weight, four- or five-sided facets are arranged in horizontal rings. Some—and often all, though not invariably—of these facets are ornamented with “bird’s-eye” motifs: small circular impressions with a raised circular ridge in the centre. Many such examples have been excavated at Caesarea Maritima. In general, the workmanship and metallic quality of the bronze weights in the dinar series are more refined than those in the dirham series.

In the dirham series, the polyhedral weights resemble those of the dinar series in overall design, though the difference between height and diameter is less pronounced. Inscriptions resembling “…الصم” may originally have been intended as “الصمد” (al-Ṣamad), meaning “the Eternal and Self-Sufficient One,” an honorific epithet of God.

Within the dirham series, cube-shaped weights are relatively rare. The most common type is the brick-shaped weight, which takes the form of a relatively flat rectangular prism, although examples exceeding two dirhams in denomination remain comparatively rare. Those bearing inscriptions resembling “الدمشقي” (al-Dimashqī) may indicate that they originated from Damascus. An inscription resembling “رسول الله” (rasūl Allāh), meaning “the Messenger of God,” is present. Some exhibit a central circle or cross, encircled by an inscription whose meaning remains to be determined.

At the beginning of the seventh century, Islamic power arose from the Arabian Peninsula and rapidly swept across the Middle East and North Africa. From the time of the Umayyad dynasty (AD 661–750) onward, the Arabs established a vast empire stretching across Europe, Asia, and Africa, from al-Andalus in Spain to the Indus Valley. Although the empire eventually fragmented with the rise of local dynasties, Arabic remained the universal language of administration and scholarship, and Islamic law continued to serve as the institutional foundation, ensuring enduring cultural unity. This continuity was particularly evident in the field of metrology. The Islamic world did not discard the Byzantine or Persian systems but rather absorbed, adjusted, and formalised them, allowing regional trade to operate within a unified framework. Traditional units such as the mithqāl and dirham remained in use, and their stable weight ratios (approximately 4.2 g and 2.9 g) became the basis for both international commerce and religious regulation. The system carried both practical and symbolic significance: it reflected the Islamic world’s emphasis on economic order and expressed the caliphal ideal of sustaining divine order through the unification of weights and measures.

The Islamic system of weights and measures exhibited great diversity in both material and function. In commercial practice, glass was the most common medium. Although its transparency and fragility made it unsuitable for prolonged use, it could be easily cast, precisely marked, and protected against tampering or forgery, leading to its widespread adoption in markets during the early Islamic and Fatimid periods. By contrast, lead weights are exceedingly rare, probably because of corrosion and recycling. Bronze weights, however, were primarily employed in the weighing of precious metals and coinage, symbolising precision and authority. The bronze weights unearthed at Caesarea Maritima differ from ordinary market weights in size, mass, and decorative treatment, suggesting that they were not intended for everyday trade but rather for the weighing of coins or for official inspection in fiscal offices. Their existence demonstrates the high level of institutionalisation achieved in the material dimension of the Islamic metrological system: it was not merely a theoretical numerical framework but also a tangible manifestation of craftsmanship and aesthetic expression. Through the deliberate selection of materials and the standardisation of forms, society clearly distinguished between the requirements of ordinary trade and those of precious-metal transactions, reflecting the close coordination between regulatory structures and economic practice.

Caesarea Maritima, located on the Mediterranean coast of modern Israel, was one of the most important ports of ancient Palestine. It served as an administrative and commercial hub during the Roman period and retained its strategic and economic significance after the Islamic conquest. The city fell to the Arab forces in AD 640 and was initially incorporated into the Palestinian military district (Jund Filasṭīn) of the Umayyad and later Abbasid caliphates. It came under the rule of the Tulunid dynasty of Egypt in AD 878 and was subsequently controlled by the Shiʿa Fatimid dynasty. Scholars, based on stratigraphic context and stylistic analysis, have attributed most of the bronze weights to the Fatimid period (approximately the 11th–13th centuries AD). This era coincided with intense political upheaval along the eastern Mediterranean, during which the Fatimid regime in Egypt, the Sunni Abbasid caliphate, and the Crusader states of the north vied for supremacy. As a coastal trading hub, Caesarea likely hosted a mint or an official bureau of weights and measures. The abundance of bronze weights recovered from its archaeological layers indicates that the city occupied a distinctive position within the Fatimid economic system, possibly serving as a centre for the verification of coinage and precious metals. Although the reason for the exceptional concentration of finds at this site remains unclear, it is reasonable to infer that Caesarea continued to function as a major fiscal and minting centre during the middle and later Islamic periods.

物件編號: A3609／A3611／A3612／A3613／A3615／A3616／A3617／A3618／A3619

年代: 約公元 1000-1300 年

材料: 青銅

尺寸: 10.2 x 10.5 x 6.6 mm (A3609)／14.1 x 14.1 x 12.5 mm (A3610)／23.6 x 23.9 x 20.0 mm (A3611)／14.7 x 15.5 x 15.0 mm (A3612)／15.8 x 15.6 x 7.0 mm (A3613)／12.7 x 11.5 x 4.8 mm (A3615)／12.7 x 13.0 x 4.5 mm (A3616)／11.5 x 11.7 x 6.1 mm (A3617)／12.5 x 11.2 x 5.2 mm (A3618)／10.3 x 11.5 x 5.8 mm (A3619)

重量: 4.15 g (A3609)／14.0 g (A3610)／58.9 g (A3611)／29.2 g (A3612)／14.55 g (A3613)／5.95 g (A3615)／5.95 g (A3616)／5.95 g (A3617)／5.8 g (A3618)／5.85 g (A3619)

製造地: 大馬士革

來源: 史蒂芬稀有錢幣專輯 2025

這是一些應為法蒂瑪王朝至埃宥比王朝時期所鑄的砝碼，可能是用以權衡錢重。

青銅砝碼依其形制，分為第納爾系列與迪拉姆系列，推測分別與當時的金幣、銀幣成一定倍數的重量關係。

第納爾系列中，多面體類的砝碼，其外型被形容為「截頭分段球體」(truncated segmented spheres)或「多面球體」(faceted spheres)。若稱兩較大平面間的距離為高度，則高度小於直徑，其差異更甚於迪拉姆系列的砝碼。上下兩個平面可能為素面，也可能飾有圓圈與中央點，或帶有碗形凹陷。若有銘文，通常刻印於其中一面或兩面，。砝碼的周身則排列有四邊或五邊的平面帶狀環繞。部分(通常是全部，但也有例外)平面上飾有「鳥眼紋」(bird’s-eyes)，為實心圓形壓印凹處，中央得以呈現陽刻空心圓圈形狀的圖案。於凱撒利亞馬利提馬遺址出土許多。一般而言，第納爾系列的青銅砝碼，其做工與材質均較迪拉姆系列精緻。

迪拉姆系列中，多面體類的砝碼，其外型與第納爾系列中，多面體類的砝碼相似，唯有其高度與直徑的差異較小。銘文似「…الصم」者，可能原意為「الصمد」(al-Ṣamad)，意為「永恆自足者」，為真主尊稱。

迪拉姆系列中，立方體類的砝碼較為罕見。最為常見的是磚型類的砝碼，呈較扁的長方體，但二迪拉姆以上的仍較為少見。有銘文似「الدمشقي」(al-Dimashqi)者，可能表示其來自大馬士革。有銘文似「رسول الله」(rasūl Allāh)者，意為「真主的使者」。有些呈中央圓圈或十字，其外環繞銘文的設計，涵義仍然待考。

七世紀初，伊斯蘭勢力自阿拉伯半島崛起，迅速席捲整個中東與北非地區。自伍麥亞王朝(Umayyad Dynasty)以降，阿拉伯人建立了一個橫跨歐亞非三洲的龐大帝國，其疆域從西班牙安達魯斯延伸至印度河流域。雖然在政治上隨著地方王朝興起而逐漸分裂，但阿拉伯語作為行政與學術的通用語，以及伊斯蘭教法作為制度基礎，使得文化層面的統一得以長期維持。這種文化的連續性尤其體現在度量衡系統上。伊斯蘭世界並未完全摒棄拜占庭或波斯的傳統，而是選擇吸收、調整並加以制度化，使各地貿易得以運行於同一框架之下。舊有的單位如米斯卡爾(mithqāl)與迪拉姆(dirham)繼續被使用，而重量比值的穩定(約4.2克與2.9克)成為國際商業與宗教規範的核心依據。此一體系兼具實用與象徵意義——它既反映了伊斯蘭世界對經濟秩序的重視，也體現哈里發政權透過統一度量衡來維護神授秩序的政治理想。

伊斯蘭世界的秤錘與砝碼呈現出多樣的材質與功能區分。商業活動中最常見的材質是玻璃，其透明與脆性雖不利於長期使用，但易於鑄造與標示，且可防止塗改或造假，因此在早期伊斯蘭與法蒂瑪時期的市場中廣泛應用。相較之下，鉛質砝碼的存世量極低，可能因易氧化與再利用而罕見。青銅秤錘則主要用於高價值金屬與貨幣交易，象徵精準與權威。凱撒利亞馬利提馬(Caesarea Maritima)出土的青銅砝碼，其尺寸、重量及雕飾皆異於一般商業秤錘，顯示其可能並非日常商貿所用，而與金屬幣秤或官署稽核有關。這些器物的存在說明伊斯蘭度量制度在物質層面的制度化程度：它不僅是抽象的數值體系，更體現在工匠的金屬技術與審美表現中。透過不同材質的選擇與形制規範，當時的社會清楚區分了普通交易與貴金屬流通的秤量需求，反映出制度與市場的高度配合。

凱撒利亞馬利提馬位於今以色列地中海沿岸，是古代巴勒斯坦地區最重要的港口之一。自羅馬時代即為行政與貿易中心，至伊斯蘭征服後仍保持戰略與經濟地位。該城於公元640年被阿拉伯軍隊攻陷，初隸屬於伍麥亞與阿拔斯王朝的巴勒斯坦軍區(Jund Filasṭīn)，後於公元878年轉為埃及的圖倫王朝(Tulunid)統治，之後又為什葉派法蒂瑪王朝(Fatimid Dynasty)所控。學者根據出土層位與風格推定，大部分青銅砝碼應鑄於法蒂瑪時期(約11至13世紀)。這一時期正是地中海東岸政治劇變之際，埃及法蒂瑪政權與遜尼派的阿拔斯哈里發及北方的十字軍國家互相角力。凱撒利亞作為沿岸貿易樞紐，極可能設有鑄造與度量監管機構。考古層中大量出土的青銅秤錘顯示該城在法蒂瑪經濟體系中地位特殊，或許負責貴金屬與貨幣的檢驗。雖目前難以解釋為何此地出土數量遠超他城，但可合理推測，凱撒利亞在伊斯蘭中後期仍為財政與鑄造活動的重要中心。