An official system of weights and measures was established[ citation needed] in the ancient Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty (550-350 BCE). The shekel and mina ("profane" or "sacred") were units of both weight and volume. A shekel or mina weight was equal to the weight of that volume of water. The talent was a measure of weight used for large amounts of coinage. Some related units were used in Persia in the 19th century, and are still used in contemporary Iran.
Persian unit | Persian name | Relation to previous unit | Metric Value | Imperial Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
digit finger |
انگشت (angosht) [1] | ≈ 20 mm[ citation needed] | ≈ 0.8 in | |
hand | dva | 5 aiwas | ≈ 100 mm[ citation needed] | ≈ 4 in |
foot | trayas | 3 dva | ≈ 300 mm[ citation needed] | ≈ 1 foot |
four-hands | remen | 4 dva | ≈ 400 mm[ citation needed] | ≈ 16 in |
cubit (five-hands) | pank'a dva | 5 dva | ≈ 500 mm[ citation needed] | ≈ 20 in |
great cubit (six-hands) | (k)swacsh dva | 6 dva | ≈ 600 mm[ citation needed] | ≈ 2 ft |
pace | pank'a | 5 trayas | ≈ 1.5 m[ citation needed] | ≈ 5 ft[ citation needed] |
ten-foot | daca trayas | 2 pank'a | ≈ 3 m[ citation needed] | ≈ 10 ft |
hundred-foot | chebel | 8 daca trayas | ≈ 24 m[ citation needed] | ≈ 80 ft |
league, the distance a horse could walk in one hour.[ citation needed] | parasang | 250 chebel | ≈ 6 km[ citation needed] | ≈ 3.75 miles[ citation needed] |
mansion, one day's march on the Royal Road. | ( Greek stathmos) | 4 or 5 parasang | ≈ 24–30 km | ≈ 14–18 miles |
Asparsa | Asparsa [2] [3] [4] | ≈ 187–195 m and = 360 cubits |
The shekel and mina ("profane" or "sacred") were units of both weight and volume. A shekel or mina weight was equal to the weight of that volume of water. Note that the values given for the mina do not match the definitions.
The talent was a measure of weight used for large amounts of coinage (bullion, bulk coin), rather than an individual coin. Seven Babylonian talents equalled ten Attic talents, according to a list of the revenues of Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II of Persia) recorded in Herodotus. [5] [6]
𐎣𐎼𐏁 (karša) or 𐎣𐎼𐏁𐎹𐎠 (karšayā) is a unit of weight equal to 10 Babylonian shekels or 1⁄6 Babylonian mina weighing approximately 83 g (2.9 oz). [7]
Some related units were used in Persia in the 19th century, and are still used in contemporary Iran.
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