Babylonians and Assyrians, Life and Customs Part 12

In the preceding pages the equivalence of the _qa_ in modern English measures has been given in accordance with the calculations of Dr. Oppert.

Other scholars, however, would a.s.sign to it a different value, identifying it with the Hebrew _qab_ and making it equal to about two litres. This, indeed, seems to have been its value in the age of Abraham, but in the later days of Babylonian history a different system certainly prevailed.

WEIGHTS.

360 se ("grains") 1 shekel 60 shekels 1 maneh (_mana_) 60 manehs 1 talent

The silver maneh was equivalent to 9, the shekel being 3s., while the gold maneh was ten times its value. The maneh was originally a weight more than one kind of which was in use: (1) The heavy maneh of 990 grammes; (2) the light maneh of 495 grammes; (3) the gold maneh (for weighing gold) of 410 grammes; and (4) the silver maneh of 546 grammes. At Sippara, however, the heavy maneh weighed 787 grammes; the light maneh, 482 grammes; and the gold maneh, 392 grammes; while the standard maneh fixed by Dungi weighed 980 grammes. The maneh of Carchemis contained 561 grammes.

MEASURES OF CAPACITY.

1 _qa_ (Heb. _qab_) 1.66 litres 1 _pi_ or ardeb (Heb. 36 _qas_ homer) 1 _bar_ (Heb. se'ah) 60 _qas_ 1 homer in a.s.syria 60 _qas_ 1 _gur_ (Heb. kor) 180 _qas_

In the Abrahamic age other systems were in use in Babylonia according to which the _gur_ sometimes contained 360 _qas_ and sometimes 300 _qas_.

The tonnage of s.h.i.+ps was reckoned by the _gur_.

MEASURES OF LENGTH.

1 _uban_ or 16.6 millimetres finger-breadth (divided into 180 parts) 30 finger-breadths 1 _ammat_ or cubit (498 mm.) 2 cubits 1 great cubit (996 mm.) 6 great cubits 1 _qanu_ or reed 2 reeds 1 _gar_ 60 _gars_ 1 _soss_ or stade 30 _sosses_ 1 _kasbu_ or parasang (21 kilometres) 2 _kasbus_ 1 great _kasbu_

SUPERFICIAL MEASURES.

In the Abrahamic age 180 _se_ were probably equivalent to 1 _gin_, 60 _gin_ to one _sar_ or "garden," 1,800 _sar_ to 1 feddan (_padanu_) or "acre." The latter was called _bur-gan_ in Sumerian, or "10 acres," to distinguish it from a smaller acre, which contained only 180 _sar_.

Time was reckoned by the _kasbu_ or "double hour," and in early times the weight was divided into three watches of 2 _kasbus_ or 4 hours each. The months were originally lunar, and consisted of 30 days, an intercalary month being inserted in the calendar every six years. The zodiac was divided into 360 degrees.

Mathematics were based upon a s.e.xagesimal system, sixty, called the _soss_, being the unit. The _ner_ was equivalent to 10 _sosses_ and the _sar_ to 6 _ners_.