Spherical Mesopotamian weight standards were typically made of very hard, black hematite. They are most often spherical in shape but could also take the shape of animals, most notably, the duck.
Although the Danish team exposed extensive areas of Qala’at al-Bahrain, they found surprisingly little architecture in City II and none in City I. It was an exciting moment, therefore, when Geoffrey Bibby, reasoning that a gate should have been located adjacent to the harbour, began excavating the north-eastern section of the city and found the gate. It opened onto a small courtyard, with a well and watering trough, flanked by buildings which probably functioned as municipal offices where goods were weighed and assessed.1Bibby 1984, 373
Schematic drawing of the gate of City II at Qala’at al-Bahrain. Note how all of the weight standards (green dots) were found in the two rooms of a building while most of the seals were found in another, on the opposite side of the courtyard.
Bibby found a large number of Early Dilmun stamp seals in the gate area, and most significantly, small weight standards that were used with balance scales to determine the weight of an object. Surprisingly, the weights did not adhere to the Mesopotamian standard, which typically took the form of spherical or duck-shaped weight made from black hematite, but the Indus Valley standard, which were cube-shaped and made of flint.
These two styles of weights, one spherical or duck-shaped and the other cubic, represent two different standards of measure.
Weights and Balances
Dishonest merchants were known to rig their balance or shave their weight stones. The practice is dealt with in several proverbs in the Bible.
A just balance and scales are the LORD’s; all the weights in the bag are his work. (Prov. 16:11 ESV)
Can I forget any longer the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is accursed? Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? (Mic. 6:10-11 ESV)
Bibby, Geoffrey.
Looking for Dilmun.
Great Britain: Penguin, 1984.