Balance Item Number: Sf703 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Smoothly finished, rectangular bone balance with two sets of seven punctuated and recessed circles on both of the wide, flat sides. Traces of red pigment remain on one of the end circles. Each of the short, skinny ends has a hole drilled with fragments of fibre twine in them. One hole is drilled through the width of the bar in the very centre. The two other holes are symmetrically placed at the ends and run obliquely from one narrow edge to the adjacent narrow edge.
History Of Use
The balance bar from a scale. Ancient scales had several forms. A complete example from the chincha valley has two shallow copper pans attached to the ends of the bone bar. Another type has rectangular nets suspended from the balance bar by cords attached to their corners. The scale with nets may have been used for weighting feathers.
Narrative
Pre-Conquest, before 1532 C.E.
Item History
What
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Peru
When
- Creation Date
- before 1532
- Collection Date
- between 1949 and 1966
- Ownership Date
- before May 4, 1981
- Acquisition Date
- on May 4, 1981
Other
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 0711/0205