Weights and Balances of Bronze Age Europe

Abstract

Weighing technology transformed trade and economies in the Bronze Age; but is often overlooked in favour of other innovations such as metallurgy. Drawing on the largest collection of pre-literate Bronze Age weights; this book highlights the pivotal role of balance weights in shaping prehistoric European economies. It explores how this technology facilitated the emergence of a continental market; uniting communities and assisting both commoners and elites in everyday exchange. The research; carried out as part of the „Weight and Value“ project; explores the spread of weighing technology; the formation of weight systems and the development of markets; ultimately contributing to a pan-European economic network and the emergence of metallic money.