The intangible weight of things: Approximate nominal weights in modern society

Abstract

Contemporary society is not always based on a strictly quantitative definition of the value of things. Retail trade goods are often sold in "portions" that can bear a nominal round weight, approximately related to their real weight. In fact, these small trade quantities are better understood as customary standards, defined by the convergence of retail offers and customers’ needs. The quantitative properties of portions have been analyzed in order to infer the dynamics of their production and exchange. Some of the properties of portions with a nominal round weight are also shared by portions sold at their exact real weight. A methodological reflection on the concept of portions seems to be appropriate. It is proposed that the ethnoarchaeological study of contemporary portions may also serve as a proxy for better understanding how to analyze the weight distribution of exchangeable materials in pre-literate societies.