Talent (unit)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The talent ( Greek. Talanton for balance, weight ) was an original old Babylonian unit of mass (payload of a man). This talent, as well as smaller talents derived from it, were common in ancient times . Each talent was divided into 60 mines , except for the Roman one, which was divided into 100 libra (pounds).

A reference to units of volume and length was maintained via the density of the water : Each talented water had a volume of one cubic foot . Different measures of capacity for liquids of 1½ cubic feet each were called meters , those for dry bulk material (medimnos) comprised 2 cubic feet.

Like other ancient units of mass, the talent was used by weighing silver (more rarely gold or copper) as currency , for the subdivisions see ancient drachma .

separations

The talent in Mesopotamia

The talent in Mesopotamia is divided as follows:

mine Shekel še
1 talent 60 3,600 648,000
1 mine 60 10,800
1 shekel 180

Other names for the above weights are:

  • Talent: Biltûm or Gún
  • Mine: Manûm or Ma.na
  • Shekel: gin, shekel or šiklûm

see also: Weights in Mesopotamia

The Babylonian Talent

The Babylonian talent ( Kikkar ) is divided as follows;

Maneh Shekel Bekah Gerah
1 kikkar 60 3,000 6,000 60,000
1 maneh - 50 100 1,000
1 shekel - - 2 20th
1 Bekah - - - 10

The Babylonian talent originally follows the sexagesimal system used in Mesopotamia in the subdivisions relating to the mine and the shekel . Over time, however, the 60 shekels mine was replaced by the 50 shekels mine, possibly due to Egyptian influence.

The talent in the Bible

Biblical talent is divided as follows:

mine Shekel Beka Gera Gram
1 talent 60 3,000 6,000 60,000 58,932.00
1 mine - 50 100 1,000 982.00
1 shekel - - 2 20th 16.37
1 Beka - - - 10 8.68
1 Gera - - - 1 0.868

In the OT the above weights (and their subdivisions) are e.g. B. mentioned in the following places:

  • Beka: Ex 38.26  EU or "one Beka per head, half a shekel, [...]"
  • Gera: Lev 27.25  EU or “And all estimation should be based on the shekel of the sanctuary; The shekel should be twenty geras. "
  • Shekel: Ez 45.12  EU or “And the shekel should be twenty gera; twenty shekels, 25 shekels and fifteen shekels shall be your mine. "
  • Mine: You can find information in the AT according to which the mine can be divided into 50, 60 or 100 shekels. The division of the mine into 50 or 60 shekels depends on whether one uses the Septuagint (50 shekels) or the Masoretic text (20 + 25 + 15 = 60 shekels) as the basis of the translation. If one follows the division of the mine into 50 shekels, then the division by weight corresponds to that of the Babylonian talent.
    • 50 shekels: Ez 45.12  EU or “One shekel have twenty Gera. Five shekels should be five shekels for you, and ten shekels should be ten shekels, but the mine is worth fifty shekels. ” The Septuagint (written around 250 BC) defines the division of the mine at 50 shekels, as this is the most common Subdivision corresponded to that time.
    • 60 shekels: Ez 45.12  EU or “And the shekel should be twenty gera; The mine is said to be twenty shekels, 25 shekels and fifteen shekels. ” This subdivision is probably due to the influence of the Mesopotamian system, since the book of Ezekiel (or Ezekiel) dates from approx. 600-560 BC. Originated in Babylonia.
    • 100 shekels: A comparison of 1 Kings 10.17  EU with 2 Chr 9.16  EU can be interpreted in such a way that the mine was divided into 100 shekels.
      • 1 Kings 10.17  EU or “and three hundred small shields made of alloyed gold, with three mines of gold he covered each small shield. [...] "
      • 2 Chr 9,16  EU or “and three hundred pegs of hammered gold: he drew three hundred shekels of gold over each penny; [...] "
  • Talent: the subdivision of the talent results from the two digits indicated by the following calculation: 603,550 beka = 301,775 shekels = 300,000 + 1775 shekels = 100 talents + 1775 shekels.
    • Ex 38.25  EU or "And the silver from the patterned of the community was 100 talents and 1775 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary"
    • Ex 38.26  EU or "one beka per head, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, from everyone who went over to the patterned, from twenty years old and over, from 603550 men."

Other weights (or pieces of money) outside of the above subdivision are mentioned in the AT and NT :

  • Kesita: Gen 33.19  EU or “And he bought the piece of field where he pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor , Shechem's father, for a hundred kesita.” The weight is unclear, but it is possibly 4 Shekel.
  • Litra: Joh 12,3  EU or "Mary took a pound of anointing oil [...]" . It corresponds to one Roman pound ( Libra ) and thus approx. 325 grams.
  • Pim : 1 Sam 13.21  EU or “The sharpening was done for a two-thirds shekel with the plowshares and with the spades, with the fork and with the hatchets and to straighten the cattle spines.” Archaeological finds made its weight about 8 grams confirmed and corresponds to about ⅔ of a shekel.

see also: Weights in the Bible

The talent in the Talmud

The talent in the Talmud is divided as follows:

Litra Tartimar Unkiyyah Sela Shekel Plus
1 talent 60 120 750 1500 3000 6000
1 litra - 2 12 ½ 25th 50 100
1 Tartimar - - 6 ¼ 12 ½ 25th 50
1 Unkiyyah - - - 2 4th 8th
1 sela - - - - 2 4th
1 shekel - - - - - 2

The weights largely correspond to Roman and Greek models:

  • Litra (or Mine or Maneh): originally corresponds to a Roman pound ( Libra ).
  • Sela: corresponds to a Tyrian shekel .
  • Shekel: corresponds to half a biblical shekel.
  • Tartimar: corresponds to half a mine
  • Unkiyyah: corresponds to the Roman Uncia .
  • Zuz (Pl. Zuzim) or Zin (Pl. Zinin): corresponds to a Roman denarius (and thus 1/100 of a litra) or a Greek drachm .

4 Zuzim = 4 Greek drachms = 4 Roman denarii = 1 Tyrian shekel = 1 tetradrachm = 1 sela

In addition to the above subdivision, a mine with 40 shekels (or 160 denarii) is also mentioned.

Attic talent

The Attic talent is divided as follows:

mine drachma Obolus
1 talent 60 6,000 36,000
1 mine - 100 600
1 drachma - - 6th

This subdivision of the Attic talent remained unchanged over the centuries in the Greco-Hellenistic world.

Weights

The talent in Mesopotamia

The talent weighed around 30 kg and the mine weighed around 0.5 kg. One shekel weighed about 8.3 grams and one še about 0.046 grams.

see also: Weights in Mesopotamia

The Babylonian Talent

A range of ancient Babylonian weights, from 1 mine to 3 shekels

The information on the weight of the Babylonian talent varies.

According to the following two sources, Herodotus is quoted as saying that one Babylonian talent equals 70 Euboian mines. But in these two sources Herodotus is quoted differently, so that a Babylonian talent corresponds to 78 Euboian mines. According to Aelian, a Babylonian talent corresponded to 72 Euboian mines.

The Euboean mine can be roughly equated with the Attic mine in terms of weight, even if the two were not identical. 60 Attic mines correspond to one Attic talent (approx. 26 kg), i.e. H. 70 (72 or 78) Attic mines therefore give a weight of about 30.33 (31.2 or 33.8) kilograms for the Babylonian talent.

According to the following source, there were a total of four different Babylonian talents: a heavy royal and a light royal talent, with the easy being exactly half of the difficult. A heavy royal talent is equal to 60.6 kilograms, a light royal talent to 30.3 kilograms. In addition to this royal talent, an ordinary talent was used that was a little easier. Here, a heavy ordinary talent weighed 58.944 kilograms, and a light ordinary talent weighed half that.

The talent in the Bible

The basis for calculating weights was the shekel (shekel originally means "weight").

In the OT three different shekels are mentioned:

  • the shekel as it is used by traders : Gen 23,16  EU or “And Abraham listened to Efron; And Abraham weighed the money to Efron, of which he had spoken in the ears of the sons of Het, four hundred shekels of silver, as is customary at the merchant. "
  • the shekel according to royal weight : 2 Sam 14.26  EU or "And if he had his head sheared - it happened at the end of each year that he had it sheared because it was too heavy for him, so he had it sheared - , then the hair on his head weighed two hundred shekels by royal weight. "
  • the shekel of the sanctuary : Lev 27.25  EU or “And all appraisal should be based on the shekel of the sanctuary; The shekel should be twenty geras. "

Archaeological finds indicate that the shekel weighs between 9.56 and 10.52 grams and between 11.1 and 13.3 grams. This would then calculate the weight of the talent between approx. 28.7 and 39.9 kg (3000 shekels a 9.56 or 13.3 grams).

see also: Weights in the Bible

The talent in the Talmud

If the calculation is based on the Roman pound ( Libra ) with a weight of 0.325 kilograms, the result is a weight of the talent in the Talmud of 19.5 kilograms (60 × 0.325 kg). If, on the other hand, the Tyrian shekel with a weight of 14 grams is used as the basis for the calculation, the result is a weight of the Talmud talent of 21 kilograms (1500 × 14 grams).

Attic talent

The weight of the Attic talent (also called Athenian or Greek talent) was approx. 26 kilograms during the Peloponnesian War . The basis of the Attic coin standard was the tetradrachm made of silver with a weight of 17.2 grams. From this the weight of an Attic talent silver can be determined to be 25.8 kg (1500 tetradrachms of 17.2 grams each).

Other talents in the Greco-Hellenistic world

The following other talents are mentioned in antiquity:

  • The old Attic talent: The weight ratio of the old Attic talent to the (new) Attic talent is 100: 73. The old Attic talent was also in use after the introduction of the (new) Attic talent by Solon . According to an Athenian inscription, the old Attic talent could still be used for goods, while the (new) Attic talent was required to be used for money (silver, etc.).
  • Aeginian talent: it corresponded in weight to the Babylonian talent.
  • Euboean talent: it corresponded in weight to the old Attic talent.

In addition, there was the Egyptian ( Alexandrian or Ptolemaic ) talent, the Tyrian talent (which corresponded to the Attic talent), the Rhodian , the Syrian and the Cilician talent (which corresponded to half an Attic talent).

Purchasing power

A typical sailing ship cost a talent. The entire Attic League took as a "record" in 425 BC. 1460 talents as a tax. Sometimes individuals were sentenced to horrific monetary payments (up to 200 talents). Through taxes and import taxes in the League (two percent of the value of goods), Athens earned up to 2000 talents annually.

Marcus Licinius Crassus , who is considered the richest Roman at the time of Gaius Julius Caesar , had a fortune of 7,100 talents at the end of his life.

A slave cost approx. 3 mines, 1000 archers 50 talents, their equipment 8 talents. An archer's wages were 2 to 3 obols a day.

The talent in the Bible

In the Old Testament, talent is still mentioned in its original meaning as a unit of mass. In the book of Exodus it is reported that 29 talents and 730 shekels of gold and 100 talents and 1775 shekels of silver were used to line the tent of YHWH ( Ex 38.24f  EU ).

At the time of Jesus , Hellenism had entered Palestine and Greco-Roman coins were common. In the parable of the merciless servant ( Mt 18:24  EU ), Jesus uses talent as an indication of a very great debt. The creditor would have forgiven his servant the grave debt, but the servant in turn refuses to waive a much smaller claim against a third party. The servant is then tortured until the debt is paid.

The - actually transferred - meaning talent in the sense of today's language (predisposition to a skill) goes back to the parable of the entrusted talents , according to which one should make something out of one's fortune .

Relation to modern measures and currencies

In 1836, the changeover to the metric system based on the French model took place, and since then newer dimensions have had the addition "royal".

  • 1 talent = 100 mines (royal) = 150 kilograms
  • 10 talent = 1 ton (ship's ton) = 1500 kilograms

The mass of this great talent is roughly that of a Babylonian cube , 147.3 kg.

See also

literature

Web links

Wiktionary: Talent  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Jöran Friberg: A Remarkable Collection of Babylonian Mathematical Texts , Springer, 2007, ISBN 978-0-387-34543-7 , p. 173 limited preview in the Google book search
  2. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, page 932. (No longer available online.) In: ancientlibrary.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ancientlibrary.com
  3. ^ Weights and Measures. In: jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  4. ^ Table of Weights and Measures ( Memento of November 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) In: biblica.com
  5. ^ Hermann Schelenz: History of Pharmacy. Springer-Verlag, ISBN 978-3-64252-606-0 , 2013, p. 16.
  6. ↑ Ex 38:26 - Bible Knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. May 20, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  7. ↑ Lev 27:25 - Bible knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. June 2, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  8. ↑ Eze 45:12 - Bible Knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. August 26, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  9. ↑ "If you compare 1 Kings 10:17 with 2 Chronicles 9:16, you can see that one mine corresponds to 100 shekels (probably because the word 'shekel' was added by the translators), where in Ezekiel 45, 12 the mine is equivalent to 60 shekels because the latter are shekels of the sanctuary. The verse in Ezekiel seems strange, but the sense seems that three weights (20, 25 and 15 shekels) together should be their mine, from which it follows that one mine is 60 seconds. Some modern tables give 50 shekels for the mine as a conclusion from what is mentioned in Ezekiel 45:12 in the Septuagint. " Weights, monetary values ​​and measures - Bible dictionary. In: bibelkommentare.de. January 6, 2015, accessed January 6, 2015 .
  10. ↑ Eze 45:12 - Bible Knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. August 26, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  11. ↑ Eze 45:12 - Bible Knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. August 26, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  12. ↑ 1Ki 10:17 - Bible knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. September 24, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  13. ↑ 2nd Chronicle - Chapter 9 The Queen of Sheba at Solomon ( Memento from September 28, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) In: bibel-online.net
  14. ↑ Ex 38:25 - Bible Knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. May 20, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  15. ↑ Ex 38:26 - Bible Knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. May 20, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  16. ↑ Genesis 33:19 - Bible Knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. December 1, 2012, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  17. ^ Weights and Measures. In: jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  18. ^ Weights, monetary values ​​and measures - Bible Lexicon. In: bibelkommentare.de. January 6, 2015, accessed January 6, 2015 .
  19. ↑ John 12: 3 - Bible knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. June 30, 2014, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  20. ↑ 1 Sam 13:21 - Bible knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. August 28, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  21. ↑ A "Pim" confirms the historicity of the Bible - Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY. In: wol.jw.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  22. ↑ Archaeologists confirm the existence of the biblical kingdom of Edom. In: gutenachrichten.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  23. ^ Table of Weights and Measures ( Memento of November 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) In: biblica.com
  24. ^ Weights and Measures. In: jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  25. ↑ a b Weights and Measures. In: jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  26. ↑ Study Bible. In: bibelkommentare.de. January 6, 2015, accessed January 6, 2015 .
  27. ↑ a b c Babylonian Talmud: Baba Bathra 107. In: Sefaria. May 30, 2019 .
  28. ^ Weights, Measures & Coins of the Biblical & Talmudic Periods. In: jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  29. ↑ a b Weights and Measures. In: jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  30. ↑ Babylonian Talmud: Sanhedrin 70. In: Sefaria. May 30, 2019 .
  31. ^ Forum Ancient Coins. In: forumancientcoins.com. June 1, 1999, accessed January 6, 2015 .
  32. ↑ However, the Talmud mentions yet another maneh of 40 shekels (160 denarii; Jul. 137b – 138a) Weights and Measures. In: jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  33. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, page 931. (No longer available online.) In: ancientlibrary.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ancientlibrary.com
  34. ↑ Now the two standards here mentioned are connected by Herodotus by the statement that the Babylonian talent is equal to 70 Euboic minae, which, since every talent contained 60 minae, gives 70: 60 for the ratio of the Babylonian talent to the Euboic. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, page 932. In: ancientlibrary.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 .
  35. ↑ The Babylonian talent, it is to be observed, is equal to seventy Euboic minae. limited preview in Google Book search
  36. ↑ Herodotus, The Histories, Book 3, chapter 89, section 2. In: perseus.tufts.edu. April 2000, accessed January 6, 2015 .
  37. ^ The History of Herodotus, parallel English / Greek: Book 3: Thaleia: 80. In: sacred-texts.com. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  38. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, page 932. (No longer available online.) In: ancientlibrary.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ancientlibrary.com
  39. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, page 933. In: ancientlibrary.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 .
  40. ↑ “This proves that a heavy and a light talent were used in Babylon, the latter one-half the weight of the former. A heavy talent = 60,600 grams […] 1 light talent = 30,300 grams […] There was, in addition to this 'royal' weight, another 'common' weight which was somewhat lighter […] According to this common weight the heavy talent weighed 58,944 grams […] and the light talent, mina, and shekel just one-half as much. " WEIGHTS AND MEASURES - JewishEncyclopedia.com. In: jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  41. ↑ The major weight of metal mentioned in the Bible is the shekel, as its name, which means simply "weight," testifies. Weights, Measures & Coins of the Biblical & Talmudic Periods - Jewish Virtual Library. In: jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  42. ↑ The verb shql ("to weigh") is shared by all Semitic languages; and generally the system of weights used by Semitic peoples is the same. Weights, for the most part, were made of stone, hence the Bible refers to weights generally as "stones" (ʾeven). Weights and Measures. In: jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  43. ↑ Gen. 23:16 - Bible Knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. October 15, 2014, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  44. ↑ 2Sam 14:26 - Bible knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. September 11, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  45. ↑ Lev 27:25 - Bible knowledge. (No longer available online.) In: bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu. June 2, 2013, archived from the original on January 6, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bibelwissen.bibelthemen.eu
  46. ^ A bronze weight in the shape of a turtle was found in the coastal plain; on its reverse side it bears the inscription "one-quarter shekel." And in fact, a weight of this sort (one-quarter shekel) is mentioned in I Samuel 9: 8. That quarter shekel weighed 2.63 grams. That would make the shekel 10.52 grams. Another bronze weight from Samaria, also in the shape of a turtle, bears the inscription "five", and this has been interpreted to mean five gerahs. Since there are twenty gerahs in a shekel, that would make that weight one-quarter of a shekel as well. Its weight is 2.49 grams, making a shekel 9.56 grams. Another weight from Samaria is marked on one side "one-quarter shekel," and its weight is 2.54 grams. That would make the shekel 10.16 grams. Weights, Measures & Coins of the Biblical & Talmudic Periods. In: jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  47. ↑ The beka is the one unit of weight mentioned in the Bible whose value has been determined. It is half a shekel (see above). However, this value does not correspond to the beka (bqʿ) weights found in excavations. In Israel, seven weights have been found with the name got written on them. On some the name is written in full, and on some only the letter ב (beth) appears. Their average weight is 6.03 gm. More than the value of the half-shekel of 11.3 gm. The heaviest one is 6.65 gm. And the lightest 5.55 gm. Weights and Measures. In: jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 6, 2015 .
  48. ^ John William Humphrey, John Peter Oleson, Andrew Neil Sherwood: Greek and Roman technology , p. 487.
  49. ↑ The exact mass of a talent was 25,992 kg. Herodotus, Robin Waterfield and Carolyn Dewald, The Histories (1998), 593.
  50. ^ Engen, Darel: The Economy of Ancient Greece. In: EH.Net Encyclopedia , 2004. (See the section Money and Banking: The basis of the Attic standard was the silver tetradrachm of 17.2 grams )
  51. ^ Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, page 931. (No longer available online.) In: ancientlibrary.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013 ; accessed on January 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ancientlibrary.com
  52. ^ Christian Noback, Friedrich Eduard Noback: Complete paperback of the coin, measure and weight relationships. Volume 1, FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1851, p. 875.
  53. ↑ Walter Haupt: Saxon coinage . German Verl. D. Wiss., Berlin 1974, p. 12.