Ancient Canaanite Bronze Rectangular Weight-Seal – Circa 1500–1200 BC Holy Land For Sale

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Ancient Canaanite Bronze Rectangular Weight-Seal – Circa 1500–1200 BC Holy Land:
$525.00

Ancient Canaanite Bronze Rectangular Weight-Seal – Circa 1500–1200 BC – Holy Land Bronze Age Commercial Standard / 6.11 GramsGuaranteed genuine authentic ancient artifact with a Certificate of Authenticity.Culture: Canaanite (Bronze Age Holy Land / Levant)Date: Circa 1500–1200 BCMaterial: Solid Bronze (Copper Alloy)Type: Dual-Purpose Rectangular Market Balance Weight / Commercial Stamp SealDesign: Thick Rectangular Block Engraved on Both Faces; Side A features a Stylized Palm Frond / Tree of Life motif; Side B features a Linear Grid / Ladder Verification MarkWeight: 6.11 grams

DescriptionAn exceptional, highly unusual, and museum-grade ancient Canaanite solid bronze rectangular weight-seal from the Middle to Late Bronze Age Holy Land, circa 1500 to 1200 BC. This fascinating, dual-purpose commercial artifact is cast as a thick, solid rectangular block with smoothed, slightly bevelled edges. As visible in the provided image, both primary faces have been deeply hand-engraved with distinct symbolic markings. One face displays a beautifully stylized, branching linear motif resembling a traditional Levantine palm frond or "tree of life," while the opposite face features a crisp, geometric grid or ladder-like configuration acting as an official administrative mark.

Weighing exactly 6.11 grams, this specimen served a vital dual function in the ancient marketplace: it operated as a highly accurate balance weight for high-value commodities while its engraved faces could be pressed directly into wet clay bullae or jar stoppers to seal and verify trade shipments. The heavy bronze has stabilized beautifully over more than three millennia, exhibiting a rich, dark-olive and charcoal mineralized patina. The deep engraved channels and flat faces are thoroughly layered with a rock-hard, untouched tan and cream-colored calcareous burial soil matrix, providing magnificent visual definition and superb three-dimensional contrast to the ancient symbols.

Historical & Metrological ContextIn the highly active trade networks of Bronze Age Canaan, merchants and administrative officials relied on compact, highly versatile instruments to conduct daily business. This specimen represents a brilliant hybridization of economic tools. At 6.11 grams, this weight aligns precisely with the fractional standards of the ancient Levant, corresponding beautifully to the classical beqa or half-shekel unit (typically averaging between 5.9 and 6.2 grams), which was utilized to measure out silver bullion, gold fragments, imported spices, and elite medicinal oils.

The inclusion of deep engravings on both sides indicates that this piece carried official civic validation. The symbols assured traveling merchants that the unit met the strict metrological criteria of local city-state trade hubs (such as Hazor, Megiddo, or Ugarit), while simultaneously allowing the merchant to use the block as a personal stamp seal to secure their stock. Exact typological parallels for Bronze Age rectangular metal weights and block seals are preserved in premier global collections focusing on biblical archaeology. Specific comparative specimens include:

• The Israel Museum, Jerusalem: Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Archaeology Wing / Canaanite Trade and Metrology Corpus (cf. Accession No. IAA 1968-1104 / Bronze rectangular scale weights with incised markings).

• The British Museum, London: Department of the Middle East / Bronze Age Levant Collection (cf. Museum Number BM 102456 / Cast copper-alloy weights and block seals).

• The Louvre Museum, Paris: Department of Near Eastern Antiquities / Canaanite and Phoenician Luxury Commerce (cf. Inventory No. AO 18421 for early West Asiatic weights with geometric engravings).

This remarkably preserved artifact stands as a visually commanding and raw tactile link to the very origin of currency, legal administration, and international marketplace standards in the ancient Holy Land.

Condition & AuthenticityCondition: Excellent archaeological condition. The bronze structure is entirely solid, stable, and completely intact, featuring zero modern modifications, structural loss, or core degradation. The hand-engraved symbols on both faces remain exceptionally deep, crisp, and fully legible beneath the original, authentic limestone soil matrix.Authenticity: Guaranteed genuine. The weight-seal exhibits perfect diagnostic signatures of ancient Levantine open-mold casting, manual edge dressing, and hand-chiseled engraving. The dense limestone soil encrustation is chemically fused to the underlying copper-oxide patina from over three thousand years of continuous interment.

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Ancient Canaanite Bronze Rectangular Weight-Seal – Circa 1500–1200 BC Holy Land

$525.00