Persian units of measurement
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[]
Length[]
| 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 | 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[]
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[]
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]