If you look closely at the beam of this gold balance, you see three horizontal lines running across it. These lines indicate the thinness of the material, but also show that presumably the material was wrapped around something to secure its structure. Schliemann, H. (1878). “The First, Second, and Third Tombs in the Acropolis.”, Mycenae: A Narrative of Research and Discoveries at Mycenae and Tiryns. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 198; Evans, A. (1925). “The Ring of Nestor: A Glimpse into the Minoan After-World and A Sepulchral Treasure of Gold Signet-Rings and Bead-Seals from Thisbê, Boeotia.”, The Journal of Hellenic Studies 45: 60. The beam consists of tubes of thin gold-plate, in which the debris of charred wood was found. This indicates that a wooden stick must have been used as the inner part of these tubes in order to support the structure and give it its shape and firmness. Nowadays the beam is flat, but perhaps the original shape of the beam was hollow.See for more information, Schliemann, H. (1878). “The First, Second, and Third Tombs in the Acropolis.”, Mycenae: A Narrative of Research and Discoveries at Mycenae and Tiryns. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press:197-198.
Attached to the beam are several threads. These threads are also made of wafer-thin gold, just like the loop at the top of the scale. These gold threads lead to two beautiful gold discs. Let us take a closer look at these discs in the next step!