DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49262#0050
30 GREEK AND ROMAN COINS [bk. i
Of these, the common manah is probably the older, and
the royal is derived from it. The raising of the norm was
probably dictated by a principle of taxation, in accordance with
which a certain percentage was added to all the common
weights whenever payments were made to the royal treasury.
In accordance with the Babylonian sexagesimal system, the
addition was in the first instance Ay. This gives a heavy
manah of 1022-9 g- IO27 g· But in later times an addition
of -/θ appears to have been made, revealing the influence of
the decimal system, and this yielded a heavy manah of
1031-1 g. to 1035 3 g.
Finally, for the purposes of coinage, some deduction had
to be made to defray the expense. This appears to have been
calculated on a basis of two per cent., which yields a heavy
manah of 1008 g. to 1010 g.
The raising of weights for the purpose of taxation is a priori
probable, and the theory that weights were so raised is borne
out by a weight of the time of Darius Hystaspes1 with inscrip-
tions in old Persian (the royal dialect), new Susie, and new
Babylonian. The two latter inscriptions call the weight
mina 1 shekel; the royal inscription calls it 2 karaslia. Now
since the weight mina — 60 shekels, 1 shekel = x i mina.
Therefore 2 karasha — f mina + an addition of one-twentieth,
or five per cent. The weight in question therefore is five per
cent, in advance of the common % mina, and we have here an
instance of the king’s adding five per cent, to the common
weight, and explaining the addition by inscription in the
vernacular.
As regards the deduction for the mint, the evidence is not
quite so clear2. But the usual weights of 8-40 g. for the
daric (Pl. I. 11) and 5 60 g. for the siglos (Pl. I. 10) seem
to have been obtained by some such deduction. The occurrence
of higher weights, on the other hand, shows that the deduction
was not always made. Again3, the Ptolemaic drachm is
1 Lehmann in Verhandl. der Berl. Gesellsch. fur Anthrop. &c., 1889, p. 273.
2 The daric, on which as weighing 8-57 g. Lehmann (op. cit. p. 279 ;
Brandis, p. 66) bases one argument, weighs, according to Babeion (Perses
Achem., no. 124s), only 8-25 g. The highest weight of any daric known
to me is 8.46 g. (Babeion, no. 95); of any double daric, 17-002 g. (Brit.
Mus.).
3 Lehmann in Hermes. 1892, p. 535, note 2.
Of these, the common manah is probably the older, and
the royal is derived from it. The raising of the norm was
probably dictated by a principle of taxation, in accordance with
which a certain percentage was added to all the common
weights whenever payments were made to the royal treasury.
In accordance with the Babylonian sexagesimal system, the
addition was in the first instance Ay. This gives a heavy
manah of 1022-9 g- IO27 g· But in later times an addition
of -/θ appears to have been made, revealing the influence of
the decimal system, and this yielded a heavy manah of
1031-1 g. to 1035 3 g.
Finally, for the purposes of coinage, some deduction had
to be made to defray the expense. This appears to have been
calculated on a basis of two per cent., which yields a heavy
manah of 1008 g. to 1010 g.
The raising of weights for the purpose of taxation is a priori
probable, and the theory that weights were so raised is borne
out by a weight of the time of Darius Hystaspes1 with inscrip-
tions in old Persian (the royal dialect), new Susie, and new
Babylonian. The two latter inscriptions call the weight
mina 1 shekel; the royal inscription calls it 2 karaslia. Now
since the weight mina — 60 shekels, 1 shekel = x i mina.
Therefore 2 karasha — f mina + an addition of one-twentieth,
or five per cent. The weight in question therefore is five per
cent, in advance of the common % mina, and we have here an
instance of the king’s adding five per cent, to the common
weight, and explaining the addition by inscription in the
vernacular.
As regards the deduction for the mint, the evidence is not
quite so clear2. But the usual weights of 8-40 g. for the
daric (Pl. I. 11) and 5 60 g. for the siglos (Pl. I. 10) seem
to have been obtained by some such deduction. The occurrence
of higher weights, on the other hand, shows that the deduction
was not always made. Again3, the Ptolemaic drachm is
1 Lehmann in Verhandl. der Berl. Gesellsch. fur Anthrop. &c., 1889, p. 273.
2 The daric, on which as weighing 8-57 g. Lehmann (op. cit. p. 279 ;
Brandis, p. 66) bases one argument, weighs, according to Babeion (Perses
Achem., no. 124s), only 8-25 g. The highest weight of any daric known
to me is 8.46 g. (Babeion, no. 95); of any double daric, 17-002 g. (Brit.
Mus.).
3 Lehmann in Hermes. 1892, p. 535, note 2.