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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

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Length

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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

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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

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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 16 Babylonian mina weighing approximately 83 g (2.9 oz).[7]

Units used in modern Persia (Iran)

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Some related units were used in Persia in the 19th century, and are still used in contemporary Iran.

Length

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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

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1 chenica = 1.32 liters.

References

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  1. ^ Efendi, C.; Crane, H. (1987). Risāle-i Miʻmāriyye. Muquarnas Supplements Studies in Islamic Architecture Series (in Latvian). E.J. Brill. p. 76. ISBN 978-90-04-07846-8. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Ancient Measurements". smithlifescience.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013.
  3. ^ "Abbreviations". loghatnaameh.org (in Persian). Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2014-05-13.
  4. ^ "Measures from Antiquity and the Bible". users.aol.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 1998.
  5. ^ Herodotus, Book III, 90-96
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "British Museum No. 91117 Inscribed weight". britishmuseum.org.
  8. ^ Rose, Joshua (1900). Pattern Makers Assistant (9th ed.). New York: D. van Nostrand Co. p. 264.