Persian units of measurement

An official system of weights and measures was established{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} 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=

class="wikitable"
colspan=1\|Persian unit !Persian name !Relation to previous unit !Metric Value !Imperial Value
digit finger \|align=right\| {{lang\|fa\|انگشت}} (angosht){{cite book \|last=Efendi \|first=C. \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dJk3AAAAIAAJ \|title=Risāle-i Miʻmāriyye \|last2=Crane \|first2=H. \|publisher=E.J. Brill \|year=1987 \|isbn=978-90-04-07846-8 \|series=Muquarnas Supplements Studies in Islamic Architecture Series \|page=76 \|language=lv \|access-date=22 May 2024}} \|align=right\| \| ≈ 20 mm{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 0.8 in
hand \|align=right\| dva \|align=right\| 5 aiwas \| ≈ 100 mm{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 4 in
foot \|align=right\| trayas \|align=right\| 3 dva \| ≈ 300 mm{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 1 foot
four-hands \|align=right\| remen \|align=right\| 4 dva \| ≈ 400 mm{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 16 in
cubit (five-hands) \|align=right\| pank'a dva \|align=right\|5 dva \| ≈ 500 mm{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 20 in
great cubit (six-hands) \|align=right\| (k)swacsh dva \|align=right\|6 dva \| ≈ 600 mm{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 2 ft
pace \|align=right\| pank'a \|align=right\|5 trayas \| ≈ 1.5 m{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 5 ft{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}}
ten-foot \|align=right\| daca trayas \|align=right\|2 pank'a \| ≈ 3 m{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 10 ft
hundred-foot \|align=right\| chebel \|align=right\| 8 daca trayas \| ≈ 24 m{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 80 ft
league, the distance a horse could walk in one hour.{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \|align=right\| parasang \|align=right\| 250 chebel \| ≈ 6 km{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}} \| ≈ 3.75 miles{{citation needed\|date=February 2015}}
mansion, one day's march on the Royal Road. \|align=right\|(Greek stathmos) \|align=right\|4 or 5 parasang \| ≈ 24–30 km \| ≈ 14–18 miles
Asparsa \|align=right\|Asparsa{{Cite web \|title=Ancient Measurements \|url=http://www.smithlifescience.com/AncientMeasurements.htm \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105075335/https://www.smithlifescience.com/AncientMeasurements.htm \|archive-date=November 5, 2013 \|website=smithlifescience.com}}{{cite web \|title=Abbreviations \|url=http://www.loghatnaameh.org/dehkhodaworddetail-08b73cdcf25247689c183b1eaeec389f-fa.html \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815123944/http://www.loghatnaameh.org/dehkhodaworddetail-08b73cdcf25247689c183b1eaeec389f-fa.html \|archive-date=2012-08-15 \|access-date=2014-05-13 \|website=loghatnaameh.org \|language=fa}}{{Cite web \|title=Measures from Antiquity and the Bible \|url=http://users.aol.com/jackproot/met/antbible.html \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205012408/http://users.aol.com/jackproot/met/antbible.html \|archive-date=December 5, 1998 \|website=users.aol.com}} \|align=right\| \| ≈ 187–195 m and = 360 cubits \|

class="wikitable"

colspan=1|Persian unit

!Persian name

!Relation to previous unit

!Metric Value

!Imperial Value

digit
finger

|align=right| {{lang|fa|انگشت}} (angosht){{cite book |last=Efendi |first=C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dJk3AAAAIAAJ |title=Risāle-i Miʻmāriyye |last2=Crane |first2=H. |publisher=E.J. Brill |year=1987 |isbn=978-90-04-07846-8 |series=Muquarnas Supplements Studies in Islamic Architecture Series |page=76 |language=lv |access-date=22 May 2024}}

|align=right|

| ≈ 20 mm{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 0.8 in

hand

|align=right| dva

|align=right| 5 aiwas

| ≈ 100 mm{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 4 in

foot

|align=right| trayas

|align=right| 3 dva

| ≈ 300 mm{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 1 foot

four-hands

|align=right| remen

|align=right| 4 dva

| ≈ 400 mm{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 16 in

cubit (five-hands)

|align=right| pank'a dva

|align=right|5 dva

| ≈ 500 mm{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 20 in

great cubit (six-hands)

|align=right| (k)swacsh dva

|align=right|6 dva

| ≈ 600 mm{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 2 ft

pace

|align=right| pank'a

|align=right|5 trayas

| ≈ 1.5 m{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 5 ft{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

ten-foot

|align=right| daca trayas

|align=right|2 pank'a

| ≈ 3 m{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 10 ft

hundred-foot

|align=right| chebel

|align=right| 8 daca trayas

| ≈ 24 m{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 80 ft

league, the distance a horse could walk in one hour.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

|align=right| parasang

|align=right| 250 chebel

| ≈ 6 km{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

| ≈ 3.75 miles{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

mansion, one day's march on the Royal Road.

|align=right|(Greek stathmos)

|align=right|4 or 5 parasang

| ≈ 24–30 km

| ≈ 14–18 miles

Asparsa

|align=right|Asparsa{{Cite web |title=Ancient Measurements |url=http://www.smithlifescience.com/AncientMeasurements.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105075335/https://www.smithlifescience.com/AncientMeasurements.htm |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |website=smithlifescience.com}}{{cite web |title=Abbreviations |url=http://www.loghatnaameh.org/dehkhodaworddetail-08b73cdcf25247689c183b1eaeec389f-fa.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815123944/http://www.loghatnaameh.org/dehkhodaworddetail-08b73cdcf25247689c183b1eaeec389f-fa.html |archive-date=2012-08-15 |access-date=2014-05-13 |website=loghatnaameh.org |language=fa}}{{Cite web |title=Measures from Antiquity and the Bible |url=http://users.aol.com/jackproot/met/antbible.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205012408/http://users.aol.com/jackproot/met/antbible.html |archive-date=December 5, 1998 |website=users.aol.com}}

|align=right|

| ≈ 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.Herodotus, Book III, 90-96{{cite book |author=Burn, Andrew R. |title=Persia and the Greeks: the defence of the West, c. 546-478 BC |publisher=Duckworth |location=[London] |year=1984 |pages=123–126 |isbn=0-7156-1765-6}}

𐎣𐎼𐏁 (karša) or 𐎣𐎼𐏁𐎹𐎠 (karšayā) is a unit of weight equal to 10 Babylonian shekels or {{frac|6}} Babylonian mina weighing approximately {{cvt|83|g}}.{{Cite web |title=British Museum No. 91117 Inscribed weight |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1888-0512-Bu-257 |website=britishmuseum.org}}