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A Roman invention, the steelyard (or stilyard) balance employed sliding weights along an etched arm to determine the mass of goods, much like the modern beam balance. The Byzantine balance pictured dates from the 5th to 7th centuries CE...

Dating to 400-500 CE, this steelyard weight is made from copper alloy and filled with lead. It measures 24.2 x 11.5 x 7.1 cm and weighs 5664 grams. The hook is approximately 23 cm in length and weighs 176 grams. (Metropolitan Museum, New...

This Byzantine gold marriage ring dates to the 3rd to 4th centuries CE. The ring measures 56 mm in circumference and the bezel measures 10x10 mm. Weight: 4.5 grams. (Metropolitan Museum, New York)

Solidus depicting Heraclius, who reigned from 610 CE to 641 CE. Discovered in Qasr-i Abu Nasr (Iran), it is made of gold and measures 1.9 cm. (Metropolitan Museum, New York)

This terracotta pilgrim token features a saint flanked by angels; a monk holding a censer, and a palm branch. Made in Syria 6th-7th century CE. Measures 34.5 mm. British Museum, London

Silver censer made in Constantinople (now, Istanbul) between 602-610 CE. Found near Acheripoietos Monastery, Cyprus. Depicts Jesus Christ, Mary, and Saints Peter, Paul, John the Evangelist, and James, each in a border of palms. (British...

The citadel of Tushpa (Van), capital of the ancient kingdom of Urartu (9th-6th century BCE) and later Armenian kingdoms. Lake Van, eastern Turkey.

Solidus coin struck in 395 CE depicting Roman emperor Theodosius I (r. 379-395 CE). From the White Mountain Collection.

Ruins of the West Church found at the village of Umm el-Jimal in the north of Jordan, which was occupied between the 1st century CE (by the Kingdom of Nabatea) and the 9th century CE (during the Abbasid period). Inscriptions made by Tanukhid...

This marble sculpture from Rome, Italy dates to sometime between the 1st Century BCE and the 1st Century CE. It portrays a young male Aethiopian, or black African, acrobat balancing on a crocodile. (British Museum, London)