Persian units of measurement
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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.
Ancient Persian units[edit]
Length[edit]
| 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 |
Volume[edit]
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.
- 1 shekel = 8.3 ml (approximately 1 cubic aiwas).
- 1 profane mina = 50 shekel = 500 ml (approximately 27 cubic aiwas).
- 1 sacred mina = 60 shekel = 600 ml (approximately 1 cubic dva).
- 1 talent (volume) = 60 profane mina = 25 liters (approximately 1 cubic trayas).
Weight[edit]
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]
Units used in modern Persia (Iran)[edit]
Some related units were used in Persia in the 19th century, and are still used in contemporary Iran.
Length[edit]
- 1 arsani or ulna = 52-64 cm.
- 1 arish = 38.27 inches (97.21 cm)[8]
- 1 chebel = 40 arsani = 21-25 meters or 23-30 yards.
- 1 farsang (parasang) = 6.23 km in 19th century Persia.
- 1 farsang = 10 kilometers in modern Iran and Turkey.
Volume[edit]
- 1 chenica = 1.32 liters.
References[edit]
- ^ Efendi, C. (1987). Risāle-i mi’māriyye: supplements to Muqarnas, Vol. 1. Leiden: E. J. Brill. Retrieved from [1].
- ^ http://www.smithlifescience.com/AncientMeasurements.htm
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Measures from Antiquity and the Bible; http://users.aol.com/jackproot/met/antbible.html Archived 1998-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Herodotus, Book III, 90-96
- ^ Burn, Andrew R. (1984). Persia and the Greeks: the defence of the West, c. 546-478 BC. [London]: Duckworth. pp. 123–126. ISBN 0-7156-1765-6.
- ^ British Museum No. 91117 Inscribed weight; http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=367895&partId=1
- ^ Rose, Joshua (1900). Pattern Makers Assistant (9th ed.). New York: D. van Nostrand Co. p. 264.
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