The analysis is based on different instruments and objects, juridical texts and on the standard works of historical metrology (Boeckh, Brandis, Hultsch, Viedebantt). A central aspect of the chosen approach of cultural history and theory is the notion of the situation.
Research
Unlike the measurement of distances – which structures land ownership and taxation – the measurement of weights and volumes leads directly into private economic practices. Institutions as the metronomoi and norms for weights and measures prove the interest of the state to confine trade to a rule and a national space. But the profession of money changers and the existence of maritime trade with foreign countries indicate the tendency of goods to follow a transnational dynamic.
The analysis is based on different instruments and objects, juridical texts and on the standard works of historical metrology (Boeckh, Brandis, Hultsch, Viedebantt). A central aspect of the chosen approach of cultural history and theory is the notion of the situation. Drawing on concepts of social psychology, interactionism and urbanism, the perspective of the situation allows for an analysis of interdependent actors with their environments. It helps to assess the market- as well as the oikos-perspective as models for economy. It thus helps to show the discursive potential of marginal economies.