. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. ANCIENT DESEMERS OR STEELYARDS. 553 aftin- the picture found at lieni-Hiissan. It shoAvs two men occupied in weig-hing gold rings. The tigure of the balance .seenis to represent about the .simplest possible equal-armed scales. Fig. 4, albeit a sym- bolical representation from the classical age of Greece, appears to corroborate the inference from fig. 3 that the primitive equal-armed balance was supported from below. ^ That arrangement, howe
. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. ANCIENT DESEMERS OR STEELYARDS. 553 aftin- the picture found at lieni-Hiissan. It shoAvs two men occupied in weig-hing gold rings. The tigure of the balance .seenis to represent about the .simplest possible equal-armed scales. Fig. 4, albeit a sym- bolical representation from the classical age of Greece, appears to corroborate the inference from fig. 3 that the primitive equal-armed balance was supported from below. ^ That arrangement, however, did -w-X^ZiiTVv'. Fi(i. (iiii Wilkinson's Ancient Egyptians. not long ])revail, for soon the beam begins to be suspended fi"om a central axis. For a time there was no contrivance, such as a tongue, by which the horizontal position of the beam would be directly and unmistakably shown. On the great amphora of the Taleides (fig. 5), dating perhaps from the sixth century before Christ, such a Imlance is figured. Instead of a tongue there is a simjde crosspiece sei'ving to limit the motion of the beam. P^ijuilibrium in weighing out a predetermined amount of goods would be shown b}^ the beam beginning to swing freely, for the lowest part of the crosspiece is on the side of the goods pan, so that the weight pan would be prevented from sinking too much when it overbalanced the other. The same object was accomplished by the P^gyptians more ingeniously (fig. 6). One arm of the balance passed loosely through a ring which hung upon a round rod above the beam and parallel to it. This rod was often in the form of the hind leg of a baboon that crowned the balance as an image of Thoth, the ordainer of weights and nieasures, and god of time. Below the ring hung a short plummet. When this plummet and ring were free the beam did not touch the ring, and the • N<... 3 is prevented from upsetting by elbows in the arms, Nn. 4 by ..n a cylinder.—Tr. SM iyo(j 39. Pl
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