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Ancient Mesopotamian Weights And Measures
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SUMERIAN UNITS


Length



Area

  • ''sar'': Garden plot (Sumerian) = 1 square ''ninda'', plot of land enclosed by a boundary dike/canal”.

  • 4 square reeds = 144 square cubits

  • ''iku'' (plural Akk. form of ég, ék, 'levee').:= 100 ''sar'' = 120 × 120 cubits

  • = 3600 meters2 = 100 sar = 1 square 'rope' = 1/18 bùr

  • 1 ''bùr'':= 18 ''iku'' = 3 area ''éše'' = 1800 ''sar'', the amount of land that supported a family

  • 1 ''uzalak'': = 1/4 of an ''iku'' = 25 ''sar''

  • 1 ''še'': barley; grain; = 12 square ''uban''

  • 1 ''ubu'' : = 1/2 of an ''iku'' (= 50 ''sar'').

  • 1 éše, = 120 1/2 cubits or feet = the side of 1 square iku in area

  • éš {Link without Title} : = 6 iku; leash (can be an adverbial suffix like ''eš'', 'much')



Volume


  • 1 ''gur'' = 1 square ''ninda'' times 1 ''kùš'' = 144 cubic kùš = 18 cubic meters

  • 1 ''bariga'' = 60 ''gur'' PI or UL in Old Sumerian period

  • 1 ''bariga'' = 36 ''sìla'' in the Old Sumerian period

  • 1 ''bán-rig-a'' = 6 ''bán''. 'the ''bán'' from picking, gleaning'



AKKADIAN UNITS



Length


  • 1 ''ŠU.BAD'': 'open hand' = 12 ''šusi'' = 220 mm = 8.66"

  • 1 ''ammat'' cubit of 530 mm - 20.87 a unit of wheat or barley measure

  • 1 ''ammatu'' := 6 long ''qat''= 600 mm

  • 1 ''ÑIŠ-BAD'': =1 kùš. 600 mm

  • 1 ''UŠ'': = 6 ropes = 60 nindan rods.



Area


  • 2 ''AŠ'': = 1/2 of an iku (= 50 sar).

  • 1 iku: = 3600 meters2 = 100 sar = 1 square 'rope'

  • 1 iku = 1/18 bùr plural Akk. form of ég, ék, 'levee'

  • 1 éš {Link without Title} : = 120 cubits = the side of 1 square iku in area



Volume


  • 1 bariga = 60 sìla in the Old Akkadian and Neo-Sumerian periods.



OTHER


Volume

  • 1 ''log'':= 0.54 l

  • 1 ''homer'':= 720 ''log'' ≈ 390 l



Weight and monetary

  • 1 ''

  • 1 ''mina'':= 60 ''shekal'' ≈ 232 g



Time

  • year: The Sumerians used a 360 day year by 2100 BC .

  • week: The Babylon ians introduced the seven day week, due to the belief that Seven brought bad luck, so they did not want to work the seventh day.

  • hour: The 12 hour day and 12 hour night originates from Mesopotamia. The length of these hours changed through the year, being equally spaced over the time of light and dark, respectively.



MESOPOTAMIAN STANDARDS


The Greek root of ''stadios'' means to stand or have standing, to establish a standard.

In Mesopotamia the problem was that there were several different standards so in the time of Gudea an agreement was circulated between the various city states much like that which is presently being negotiated in Europe.


Ancient Mesopotamian weights and measures


The Weights And Measures of Mesopotamia gradually developed with the associated city states. The Sumer ian number system uses a Base 60 Positional Notation , and is the origin for the division of 60 for Hour s and angular Degree s. The Akkadian system adopts the Sumerian. Over a period of several millennia international trade and commerce spread the idea of standards of measure based on definitions of land and property throughout the ancient near east.

International trade required the expansion of the arrangement throughout the ancient Near East as a common standard much like our metric system. The basis of the standard was a definition of a geographic degree divided into 600 parts know as stadia which were further divided into 600 feet.

Mesopotamia
: In Mesopotamia there was the sos = 180 m

: The Copper bar ''cubit of Nippur '', the oldest preserved standard bar, defines the Sumerian cubit (''kù'') as half a Metre . This was widely used in 3rd Millennium BC .

: The Babylon ian (or Salamis ) cubit was about the same size and is portrayed in a rule on the statue of Gudea ( Lagash , dated around 2575 BC ) which depending on source measures in a range from 496 to 500 mm.


CONTEMPORARY STANDARDS OF NEIGHBORING CULTURES


Egypt

: In Egypt the khet was 100 royal cubits
: In Egypt 210 khet were an itrw or hour of travel on the river
: In Egypt 300 royal cubits were the stadia of Eratosthenes = 157.5 m, 700 to a degree at

Alexandria

: In Egypt 350 Royal cubits were a minute of march = 183.75 m
: In Egypt 60 minutes of march were an atur or hour of march


Persia

: In Persia there were stadia of 700 feet = 222 m or 500 to a degree on the equator. This was the geographic stadia of Marianus of Tyre and Ptolomy


Greece

: In Attic Greece a milos was 8 stadions of 600 pous = 185 m, 600 to a degree of 111 km
: In Ionic Greece a milos was 8 stadions of 625 pous = 185 m, 600 to a degree of 111 km


Rome

: In Rome a milliare of 8 stadiums of 625 pes = 185 m, 600 to a degree of 111 km


SEE ALSO



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