Scales

According to the Trade section, a so-called ship pounder should be used to weigh heavy goods. This must have been a large steelyard balance. The ship pound was a weight unit which corresponded to approximately 148 kg. The name is probably due to the fact that trade in large quantities primarily was linked to shipping. For goods of medium weight, a half pounder or hand pounder was used – probably a bismar balance made of wood. It consisted of a shaft with a marked weight scale that had a weight at one end and a hook at the other. A handle was moved along the shaft to find the balance point and read the weight. Such balances are well known from the Middle Ages, including from Bryggen in Bergen. Wooden bismar balances were used until modern times but were gradually replaced with iron and steel scales that were more precise and easier to control. Weights for scales balances have been found in large numbers and various shapes. Most of them are relatively simple, but some are shaped like horses or other animals. The reason for this is unknown. Several weights have embossed or engraved marks, perhaps indicating that the weight had undergone control. Not all medieval weights make sense compared to known units of weight, suggesting that it was difficult to introduce standards or that some weights were specifically made to cheat. Balance scales were also used to weigh silver, which was still an important means of payment.