Persian units of measurement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Ancient Persian units of measurement)
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008) |
Contents |
[edit] Ancient Persian units
An official system of weights and measures was established in the ancient Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty (550-350 BCE).
[edit] Length
| Persian unit | Persian name | Relation to previous unit | Metric Value | Imperial Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| finger | aiwas | 20 mm | 0.79"In | |
| hand | dva | 5 aiwas | 100 mm | 3.94"In |
| foot | trayas | 3 dva | 300 mm | 11.81"In |
| four-hands | remen | 4 dva | 400 mm | 15.75"In (1.31'FT) |
| cubit (five-hands) | pank'a dva | 5 dva | 500 mm | 19.69"In (1.64'FT) |
| great cubit (six-hands) | (k)swacsh dva | 6 dva | 600 mm | 23.62"In (1.97'FT) |
| pace | pank'a | 5 trayas | 1.5 m | 4.92'FT |
| ten-foot | daca trayas | pank'a | 3 m | 9.84'FT (3.28YD) |
| hundred-foot | chebel | 8 daca trayas | 24 m | 78.74'FT (26.25YD) |
| league, the distance a horse could walk in one hour. | parasang | 250 chebel | 6 km | 6561.68YD (3.73MI) |
| mansion, one day's march on the Royal Road. | (Greek stathmos) | 4 or 5 parasang | 24–30 km | 14Mi-18Mi |
[edit] 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).
[edit] 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.[1][2]
[edit] Units used in modern Persia (Iran)
Some related units were used in Persia in the 19th century, and are still used in contemporary Iran.
[edit] Length
- 1 arsani or ulna = 52-64 cm.
- 1 chebel = 40 arsani = 21-25 meters
- 1 farsang (parasang) = 6.23 km in 19th century Persia.
- 1 farsang = 10 km in modern Iran and Turkey.
[edit] Volume
- 1 chenica = 1.32 liters.
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
This standards- or measurement-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
