Weight with Head of a Beardless Male

After Alexander the Great's death in 323 B.C., his generals divided his vast kingdom among themselves. Seleukos seized the largest portion, the area stretching east from the coast of present-day Turkey and Syria, and became the first ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty. The beardless man shown on this weight probably represents Seleukos I. Several elements of this head match known portraits of Seleukos: short, thick hair; deep-set eyes; curved mouth; and broad, circular diadem. In the mid-200s B.C. lead weights were generally used for commercial purposes. This example appears to have been cast from an official bronze weight-standard with clearer features. The emblems used on weights often have civic meaning and this weight probably came from one of several cities named Seleucia in honor of the ruler. A rectangular plaque like this was used with a simple balance scale. The undecorated back surface of the plaque is somewhat irregular, probably from the process of adjusting the weight.