Weight with eye and stamp marks, probably 8th–9th century
Green glass, free formed
(H x W x D)6,4 x 7,2 x 4,6 cm
Place of originFustat, Egypt
About the workThis inconspicuous lump of what was once green glass has several impressed stamp marks to prove that it is “calibrated”: this tells us it is a glass weight that was probably hung on a string. In the early period of Islamic rule in Egypt, there was a separate office for weights and measures that was responsible for checking the accuracy of weights. Over the centuries, the moisture in the ground has affected this specimen and the surface is now corroded. With glass, this often leads to iridescence, a refraction of light that glistens in all the colours of the rainbow.
AccessionGift of Helmut Hentrich 1965
Inventory numberP 1965-114
