Hill, George Francis: A handbook of Greek and Roman coins (London: Macmillan, 1899)

ch. ii] THE COIN AS A MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE

29
To determine the amounts of these various denominations
we are guided by various extant weights, mostly inscribed with
their amounts.

BABYLONIAN WEIGHTS.

Description
of the
weight.
Probable
date.
Inscription (usually in
cuneiform').
Weight in
grammes.
Weight in
grammes of
resultant
manah.
I
Bronze lion
(Fig. 6)
?
‘Five manahs of the
king’ in cuneiform,‘Five
manahs weight of the
country ’ in Aramaic.
‘The Palace of Shalma-
neser, king of the coun-
try, two manahs of the
king ’ in cuneiform, and
‘Two manahs weight of
the country ’ in Aramaic.
5042
1008
2
n
B. 0. 850
1992
996
3
Stone duck
B. C. I050
‘The Palace of Irba-Mero-
dach, king of Babylon,
thirty manahs.’
15060-5
5θ2
4
n
?
‘ Thirty manahs of Nabu-
suma-libur, king of
Assyria.’
‘ Ten manahs ’; and name
of Dungi.
14589
(broken)
About 500
5
n
B.C. 2000
4986
(injured)
498 6
6
Stone cone
‘One manah . . . imita-
tion of the weight fixed
by Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon’ (b.c.
605-561), ‘son of Nabo-
polassar after the pat-
tern of the standard of
Dungi ’ (b c. 2000).
978·3θ9
(about
1.2 g.
lost)
979-5
7
Oval stone
‘ Half manah,’ &c.
244-8
489-6
8
‘ Ur-nin-am.’
81-87
491.2
9
‘One-third manah in
shekels. Palace of Nabu-
sum-esir,’ &c.
i64-3
492-9

An examination of these weights reveals the following facts.
In the first place, there are clearly two classes of manah, one
the double of the other. Further, there is a distinction
between the royal manah, represented by 1 and 2 (heavy),
3, 4, and 5 (light), and the common manah, represented by
6 (heavy), 7, 8, and 9 (light).