MOESIA or BITHYNIA. Uncertain, circa 2nd-3rd century AD. Weight of 1 Litra (Lead, 106x136 mm, 476.00 g, 12 h), G. Iulius Pius, son of Dionysios, grandson of Dionysios, agoranomos of the polis and epilektos. ΛITPA BAP/BAPIKH / OYNKIⲰN / IH Two palm branches; to lower left, lead seal attached. Rev. ЄΠ Є IOYΛ / ΠIOY DION[Y]/CIOY ΔIC AΓO/PANOMOY THC / ΠΟΛЄⲰC / KAI ЄΠIΛЄKTOY. Pondera -. Unpublished and of great interest, a highly interesting piece. Minor scratches on the obverse, otherwise, very fine.


This weight is extremely intriguing in many respects. The proposed interpretation of 'ΔIC' as a genealogical repetition (i.e., 'son of ..., grandson of ...') is just one possibility. It could also indicate a second term in office for Pius as agoranomos, though our initial interpretation aligns better with common epigraphic patterns and thus seems the most likely. Even more interesting is the denomination on the obverse, which describes the weight as a 'Barbaric Litra [ΛITPA BAPBAPIKH] of 18 ounces'. This distinguishes it from the lighter 'Italic Litra', which weighed about 327 grams and is frequently marked as ITAΛIKON on weights from Moesia. Our 'Barbaric Litra' might correspond to the ΛΙΤΡΑ AΓΟΡΑΙΑ seen on some weights, which was also heavier than the 'Italic Litra' (see C. Doyen: Livres Commerciales, Livres Italiques et Mines: La Métrologie Pondérale à l'Époque Impériale, in: Simone Killen et al. (eds.): Caput Studiorum. Festschrift für Rudolf Haensch zu seinem 65. Geburtstag. Leipzig 2024, pp. 565-591). In any case, the pejorative term 'barbaric' clearly indicates that our agoranomos, G. Iulius Pius, was likely Italic. This is the first known instance of this derogatory term on an ancient weight and is thus of eminent socio-cultural significance.