ANCIENT DESEMERS OR STEELYARDS. 



553 



aftin- the picture found at lieni-Hiissan. It shoAvs two men occupied 

 in weig-hing gold rings. The tigure of the balance .seenis to represent 

 about the .simplest possible equal-armed scales. Fig. 4, albeit a sym- 

 bolical representation from the classical age of Greece, appears to 

 corroborate the inference from fig. 3 that the primitive equal-armed 

 balance was supported from below. ^ That arrangement, however, did 



-w-X^ZiiTVv' 



Fi(i. 3.--Fr(iiii Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians. 



not long ])revail, for soon the beam begins to be suspended fi"om a 



central axis. For a time there was no contrivance, such as a tongue, 



by which the horizontal position of the beam would be directly and 



unmistakably shown. On the great amphora of the Taleides (fig. 5), 



dating perhaps from the sixth century before Christ, such a Imlance is 



figured. Instead of a tongue there is a 



simjde crosspiece sei'ving to limit the 



motion of the beam. P^ijuilibrium in 



weighing out a predetermined amount 



of goods would be shown b}^ the beam 



beginning to swing freely, for the lowest 



part of the crosspiece is on the side of 



the goods pan, so that the weight pan 



would be prevented from sinking too 



much when it overbalanced the other. 



The same object was accomplished by 

 the P^gyptians more ingeniously (fig. 6). 

 One arm of the balance passed loosely through a ring which hung 

 upon a round rod above the beam and parallel to it. This rod was 

 often in the form of the hind leg of a baboon that crowned the 

 balance as an image of Thoth, the ordainer of weights and nieasures, 

 and god of time. Below the ring hung a short plummet. When this 

 plummet and ring were free the beam did not touch the ring, and the 



• N<... 3 is prevented from upsetting by elbows in the arms, an.l Nn. 4 by n.llii.- ..n 

 a cylinder. — Tr. 



SM iyo(j 39 



Fig. 4.— From Baumiistcr's Monuments 

 of Classical Anti(iuily. 



