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The general idea of the standard weight or étalon (in French) as an instrument certified by an incontestable authority is inadequate to apprehend the diversity of ancient control instruments and prototypes. Taking as a case study the late Roman Empire, characterized by unprecedented standardization of weights and scales, we propose to set aside the convenient notion of “standard” to investigate the gap between practice and discourse in the administration of weights and measures. Analysis of legislative sources, when viewed in the light of certain prestigious instruments of Byzantine trade, undermines the vague notion of officiality in favour of historically situated practices of control and standardization of measuring instruments by the Empire.