Ancient European treasures full of standardized bronze objects

In the early Bronze Age of Europe, ancient people used bronze objects as an early form of money, even to standardize the shape and weight of their currency, according to a study published on January 20, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Maikel HG Kuijpers and Catalin N. Popa of Leiden University, the Netherlands.

Money is an important feature of modern human society. One of the most important features of money is standardization, but it can be difficult to identify in the archaeological report, as ancient people had inaccurate measurements compared to today. In this study, the authors assessed possible money from the early Bronze Age in Central Europe, and compared the objects based on their supposed – if not exact – similarity.

The objects studied were made of bronze in shapes described as rings, ribs and axes. The authors examined more than 5,000 such objects from more than 100 ancient treasuries. They statistically compared the weights of the objects using a psychology principle, the Weber fraction, which quantifies the concept that, if objects are in mass enough, a person who weighs them by hand cannot distinguish the difference .

They found that although the weight of the objects varied, about 70% of the rings were similar enough to be distinguished by hand from each other (on average about 195 grams), as well as the bases of the ribs and axillary leaves.

The authors suggest that this constant resemblance in form and weight, coupled with the fact that these objects are often found in treasures, are signs of their use as an early form of standardized currency. Later, in the Middle Bronze Age of Europe, more accurate weighing tools appeared in the archaeological report, along with an increase in scrap, indicating a developed weighing system.

The authors add: “The euros of prehistory come in the form of bronze rings, ribs and axes. These artefacts from the early Bronze Age were standardized in shape and weight and are used as an early form of money.”