Ancient European treasures filled with standardized bronze objects

At the start of the Bronze Age in Europe, ancient peoples used bronze objects as the first form of currency, even going so far as to standardize the shape and weight of their currency, according to a study published on January 20, 2020 in the open access journal. PLOS ONE by Maikel HG Kuijpers and Catalin N. Popa from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands.

Money is an important feature of modern human society. A key feature of currency is standardization, but this can be difficult to identify in archaeological records, as the ancients had inaccurate forms of measurement compared to today. In this study, the authors assessed possible early Bronze Age silver in Central Europe, comparing objects based on their perceived similarity – if not precise.

The objects studied were bronze in shapes described as rings, ribs and ax blades. The authors examined more than 5,000 such objects from more than 100 ancient reserves. They statistically compared the weights of objects using a psychological principle known as the Weber fraction, which quantifies the concept that if objects are similar enough in mass, a human being weighing them by hand cannot do so. the difference.

They found that although the weight of the objects varied, around 70% of the rings were similar enough that they could not be distinguished by hand (on average around 195 grams), as were subsets of ribs and ax blades. .

The authors suggest that this constant similarity in shape and weight, along with the fact that these objects were often found in treasures, are signs of their use as an early form of standardized currency. Later, in the Middle Bronze Age in Europe, more precise weighing tools appear in archaeological records with an increase in bronze debris, indicating a developed weighing system.

The authors add: “Prehistoric euros came in the form of bronze rings, ribs and axes. These artefacts from the early Bronze Age were standardized in shape and weight and used as the first form of change.”