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PROF. ARCHIBALD R. S. KENNEDY, M.A., D.D., ON 



(Fig. 4.) This yields a mina of 9,846 grs., and a drachm of 

 98^ grs., revealing the well-known standard of .-E^ina. Of later 

 date and yielding a slightly higher drachm is another square 

 leaden weight, also figured in the Gezer volume (ii, 286, fig. 435). 

 It weighs 4,068 grs. and is ornamented by two cornucopias 

 crossed, a symbol of the later Seleucid kings, within and around 

 which are a Greek A, the sign of 10, deka, and four halls 

 symmetrically arranged. This I now interpret as four 

 dekadrachms, or 40 drachms of 1 01*7 grs. 



To the j-Eginetan standard must be assigned a considerable 

 number of the ordinary iminscribed Gezer weights, from half- 

 drachms upwards. One weight in particular, marked with five 

 strokes and weighing 995 grs., is clearly five ^Eginetan shekels 

 or didrachms. The same holds good of the weights recovered 

 by the Germans from the site of the ancient Megiddo, such as 

 the series weighing 9^, 19 and 38 grammes, or 1^, 3 and 6 

 iEginetan drachms of just under 98 grs. (Schumacher, Tell el- 

 Mutesdlim, 104). Of the weights from Lachish (Tell el-Hesy) 

 no fewer than 30 per cent, belong to this system, a percentage 

 surpassed only by the weights on the Phoenician standard 

 {PJJ.F.SL, 1892, 114). 



Here, in my opinion, we must also include a series of three 

 small dome-shaped weights of values ranging from 90*58 to 

 102*7 grs., with an average of close on 96 grs. All three are 

 inscribed with the Hebrew word beka, or half-shekel (Exodus, 

 xxxviii, 26, where the Greek translators render " one drachm per 

 head, the half of a shekel "). These heha weights, therefore, I 

 reckon as iRginetan drachms, each half of the shekel of the 

 five-shekel Gezer weight mentioned a moment ago. 



Under this head, finally, I would also place a tiny inscribed 

 weight in bronze — unique, so far as I know — which came from 

 Samaria. The Hebrew inscription may be read as " five " or as 

 " a fifth," but as the weight is only 38'6 grs., the latter is the 

 only possible interpretation. I take it, therefore, to be \ of an 

 iEginetan shekel of 193 grs., of which we have just seen the beka 

 weights to be one-half. This is confirmed by the shape of the 

 weight, which is that of a turtle or tortoise, animals inseparably 

 associated with the coinage of iEgina. 



(vi) The Attic Standard under the Seleucids. 



When Solon reformed the metrology of Athens he rejected 

 the ^Eginetan in favour of the Euboic-Attic standard for the 

 new currency, while retaining it for all commercial purposes. 



