**Originally Listed At $400**

Ancient Near East, Late Babylonian, ca. 800 BCE. A smooth, soft red stone weight in the form of a seated duck with a long neck turned and folded over its back. Duck weights were used to check the accuracy of payment when exchanging valuables - land, agricultural goods, paying taxes, etc. Weights like this one would be placed on pan scales alongside commodities. Duck weights correspond to local standardized units, known as talents and mina. They were made to be both functional and aesthetically appealing, suggesting that the people who used them valued beauty in everyday objects. Size: 3" W x 1.5" H (7.6 cm x 3.8 cm)

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#137215

Surface has some small chips and scratches commensurate with age, but form is clear.