INCA
Place Cardinal Mercier 31/L3.03.13
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Louise Willocx
Chargée de cours invitée
Assistante de recherche
Phd thesis: "Ancient weights of Athens. Study of the Athenian metrological system from the Classic and the Hellenistic periods" (Pondera Online - https://pondera.uclouvain.be/)
This research project aims to study the most important corpus of ancient commercial weights: the lead and bronze weights of Athens, dated from the end of the Archaic period to the beginning of the Roman period. Our ambition is to highlight the role of commercial weights within the Athenian economic system. Indeed, weights and weight standards, as well as other measurement and value standards, play a key role in our understanding of the ancient economy. Previous works have revealed several changes in the Athenian weighing system, which are reflected namely in the steady increase of the weight reference measurement (mina), by increments of 50 g (435 g to 652 g), between the 5th and the 1st centuries BC. However, precise dating of these metrological reforms need to be thoroughly examined and a complete study taking into account the entire corpus is still lacking. After having established the corpus of Athenian commercial weights, we carry out a fine typological and iconographic analysis of the material. We also study the methods of control, diffusion and use of these weights through the examination of countermarks. Finally, we seek to determine the chronology of the Athenian metrological reforms and to identify their economic causes and consequences, from the critical examination of archaeological and textual sources.
Postdoctoral research: "Producing and controlling weights and coins in Classical and Hellenistic Greece" (Demosion)
The DEMOSION project aims to study the distribution of responsibilities between public authorities and private stakeholders in producing and controlling weights and coins in ancient Greece. Previous works have highlighted the plurality of contexts, according to each political organization (city-state, kingdom,confederation) and the access to mineral resources. However, one needs to examine the structures andconditions of monetary production thoroughly. On the other hand, a complete study of the manufacture of commercial weights is still lacking. Weights and coins have a specific life cycle from their production to the recycling of metal. Ancient sources suggest that different production sites were active, according to the type of metal (e.g. silver vs. bronze vs. lead), and not to the type of manufactured goods (e.g. coins vs. jewellery, or weights vs. utensils). Moreover, weights (as a standard of mass), measures (as a standard of volume) and coins (as a standard of value) are closely associated in daily trade and play a key role in ancient Greek economy. Reliable weights, measures and coins maintain confidence in the economic system. Thus, defining metrological standards, producing official prototypes, checking weights, measures, and coins, as well as destroying non-compliant instruments, require a legal, material and administrative framework. For the first time, the DEMOSION project combines the study of commercial weights and coins in order to better understand their role and their status in ancient Greek economy. A critical examination of the archaeological (weights and coins) sources and the textual sources (inscriptions and literary texts) will shed a new light on the role played by public authorities in producing and controlling measurement and trading instruments.
2024
Willocx, Louise. For good measure. The control of measuring instruments in the ancient Greek market. In: Proceedings of the XVIth International Numismatic Congress (Warsaw, 11-16 September 2022), (2024) (Accepté/Sous presse).
2024
Willocx, Louise. Increases in Greek Weight Standards at the End of the Hellenistic Period. In: Shopping and Weighing Instruments in the Mediterranean World and Beyond Throughout History. Proceedings, (2024) (Accepté/Sous presse).
2024
Willocx, Louise. Un étalon pondéral grec commun au Ve s. ? Le décret IG I3 1453 et l'étalon commercial athénien de 105 drachmes. In: Un riche pâturage de mots, (2024).
2024
Willocx, Louise. Une mine supérieure à 150 drachmes ? Évolution des mesures pondérales athéniennes à la basse époque hellénistique. In: Un marché commun dans l’Antiquité ? Actes du colloque de Fribourg (25-26 janvier 2018) (Accepté/Sous presse).
2020
Willocx, Louise. Athenian Commercial Weights: A History of Museum Collections and a General Overview of the Corpus. In: Pondera antiqua et mediaevalia, Vol. I, p. 23-46.
2017
Willocx, Louise. Le livre XVIII des Géoponiques sur l’élevage des moutons. Sa place au sein de la tradition littéraire agronomique grecque et latine.. In: Byzantion : revue internationale des études byzantines, Vol. 87, p. 407-440 (2017).
2017
Willocx, Louise. Portrait de femme au milieu d'un décor végétalisé : essai d'interprétation du motif à partir de céramiques italiotes inédites. In: Res Antiquae, Vol. XIV, p. 251-272 (2017).
2020
Pondera antiqua et mediaevalia I, éd. Doyen, Charles ; Willocx, Louise (Numismatica Lovaniensia; 22), Presses Universitaires de Louvain: Louvain-la-Neuve, 2020. 978-2-39061-082-3 ; 978-2-39061-083-0. 254 p.
2023
Willocx, Louise. Increases in Greek weight standards at the end of the Hellenistic period: a sign of standardisation or crisis?. Daily Shopping and Weighing Instruments in the Mediterranean World and Beyond Throughout the History (Antalya (Turkey), du 27/11/2023 au 29/11/2023).
2022
Willocx, Louise. For good measure. The control of measuring instruments in the ancient Greek market. XVI International Numismatic Congress (Warsaw (Poland), du 11/09/2022 au 16/09/2022).
2021
Doyen, Charles ; Willocx, Louise. Weighing in Ancient Greece: The Pondera Online Project. 11th Day of Belgian Archaeological Research in the Ancient Greek World (Brussels, 10/12/2021).
2019
Willocx, Louise. Tenir la balance égale. La mesure du poids dans l'Athènes classique et hellénistique. Midis de l'Antiquité (Louvain-la-Neuve, 03/04/2019).
2019
Willocx, Louise. The pentagram and the countermarks on Athenian weights. Pondera Online: Fourth Workshop (Louvain-la-Neuve, du 11/12/2019 au 13/12/2019).
2018
Willocx, Louise. Poids athéniens de l'époque tardo-hellénistique. Un marché commun dans l’Antiquité ? (Fribourg (Switzerland), du 25/01/2018 au 26/01/2018).
2018
Willocx, Louise. Ἰχθυνόμων βασιλήων δελφίνων: The dolphin on Athenian weights. Pondera Online: Third Workshop (Louvain-la-Neuve, du 11/12/2018 au 14/12/2018).
2017
Willocx, Louise. Ancient weights from Athens. Pondera Online Second Workshop: New Standards and New Corpuses (Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Weights) (Louvain-la-Neuve, du 14/12/2017 au 15/12/2017).
2017
Willocx, Louise. Les poids commerciaux antiques d'Athènes. Réunion ordinaire de la Société royale de numismatique de Belgique (Brussels, 18/11/2017).
2017
Willocx, Louise. L’élevage des moutons d’après les Géoponiques : tradition, mémoire et permanence des pratiques.. Culture, faune et flore dans les sources antiques, orientales et médiévales. 5e journée des études orientales néo-louvanistes (Louvain-la-Neuve, 02/05/2017).
2022
Willocx, Louise. Poids commerciaux antiques d'Athènes : étude du système métrologique athénien aux époques classique et hellénistique, prom. : Doyen, Charles, 09/03/2022.