Bronze scale
Archaeological museum of Chora
26_12_2076_11216_F_300_1
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Bronze scale
1600 CE – 1400 BCE
Archaeological museum of Chora
Vagenas grave circle, Ano Englianos, Chora
Length: 36.8 cm
Bronze scale, as restored for the exhibition at the archaeological museum of Chora. The two discs and the rod were found in the Vagenas the grave circle at Ano Englianos, Chora, while the threads and hooks are modern additions, for the needs of the restoration. The two discs have four holes each, for attaching the threads. The small size of the scale would make it suitable for weighing small amounts of perhaps valuable materials. Scales have been found as offerings in other burial contexts of mycenaean Greece. The scale could be related with the psychostasia or weighing of souls. It echoes religious and ritual beliefs about the weighing of souls after death, in which the dead were judged for their deeds, a custom probably based on egyptian traditions.