An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c11.s29.4

v1.c11.s29.4

During the early historical period spherical objects identified as weights, made from copper, agate, chert, diorite, granite and jasper and terracotta, have been reported from Taxila, Charsada, BESNAGAR, ERAN, KAUNDINYAPURA, RANG MAHAL, SALIHUNDAM, VADNAGAR, etc. At Taxila many of them have small holes drilled into their surface, perhaps as the official marks of the weight standard. If the weight had to be reduced or increased, this groove was accordingly filled with lead. Some cavities with lead packings have also come to light. A regular binary sequence ratio could be recorded, viz. 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc. The average unit works out to 52 or 53 g, which is the standard weight of punch-marked coins [3.1]. Another parallel is recorded at KAUNDINYAPURA. One of the spheroid weights of jasper, belonging to the Maurya period, has a side rubbed off to serve as base. It weighs 46·48 g, and it has been thought that this reduction in weight is to make it conform to the old *tolā* standard of 180 grains (11·663 g). A lone weight in copper cut into facets is recorded from BESNAGAR. A jeweller's weight in bluish milky chalcedony with a rubbed base is known from MAHESHWAR; it weighs one *tolā*.