Black stone
Late 3rd millenium BCE
Mesopotamia
The British Museum
Details
Culture/Civilisation
Harappan Civilisation
Subtheme
How the Cities Traded
Display Location
Rotunda
Measurements
approximately 16 kg
Accession Number
134301 / 1963,0715.1
Description
Weighing was critical for ancient trade that relied on barter. The Mesopotamian ‘duck weight,’ depicting a duck, was associated with the Sun god Shamash, and was part of standard weight sets used across western Asia. The Harappans used weights that followed a ratio which mirror the modern binary system.

