haveagojoe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2014
- Messages
- 223
Carob seeds (aka Locust beans):
"Did you know that the Ancient Greeks discovered that carob seeds (Ceratonia siliqua) always have the same weight—approximately 0.20 grams? Because of their consistent weight, they were used to measure precious metals and gemstones.
The Greeks called carob seeds “kerátion” (meaning little horn). When they traded with the Arabs, the word transformed into "qīrāṭ". The term then traveled to Italy (“carato”), then France (“carat”), and finally into English as “karat” in the 15th century."
- Source: National Geographic
This is not quite the full story of carob seeds however, as a study revealed that carob seeds can vary in weight by up to 25%- however, variability of as little as 5% can be percieved by eye, meaning that human selection of equally-sized seeds probably contributed more than natural selection to their use as measure of weight.
- Source: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rsbl.2006.0476 (PDF)
Furthermore:
"The measure of gold purity derives from the time of the Emperor Constantine when a new gold coin was struck at 72 to the Roman pound, meaning that each coin weighed 24 siliquae or carats."
- Source: Ibid
"The Roman pound or "Libra" (Latin for 'scale'/'balance') is equivalent to 328.9 g (11.60 oz). It was divided into 12 unciae (singular: uncia), or ounces. The libra is the origin of the abbreviation for pound, "lb"."
- Source: Wikipedia
"In Troyes [France], merchants measured 480 grains of barley to equal a troy ounce, and 12 troy ounces equaled one troy pound.
Some historians, however, believe the troy ounce had its origins in Roman times. Romans standardized their monetary system using bronze bars that could be broken down into 12 pieces called "uncia" or ounce, with each piece weighing around 31.1 grams."
-Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/troyounce.asp
The Troy pound is 12 troy ounces or 5760 grains (373.24172g). The imperial pound is 16 imperial ounces (453.59237g).
The French Carolingian monetary system used the Livre, which derived its name from the Roman Libra and equated to a pound of silver.
The British monetary pound Sterling emerged after the adoption of the French sytem around 800AD. The value of £1 Sterling in the year 800 was equal to 11.25 troy ounces of silver.
Further reading:
Bronze "Aes Grave" and "Rudera" and the transition from metal weights to early money: https://andrewmccabe.ancients.info/EarlyMoney.html
"Did you know that the Ancient Greeks discovered that carob seeds (Ceratonia siliqua) always have the same weight—approximately 0.20 grams? Because of their consistent weight, they were used to measure precious metals and gemstones.
The Greeks called carob seeds “kerátion” (meaning little horn). When they traded with the Arabs, the word transformed into "qīrāṭ". The term then traveled to Italy (“carato”), then France (“carat”), and finally into English as “karat” in the 15th century."
- Source: National Geographic
This is not quite the full story of carob seeds however, as a study revealed that carob seeds can vary in weight by up to 25%- however, variability of as little as 5% can be percieved by eye, meaning that human selection of equally-sized seeds probably contributed more than natural selection to their use as measure of weight.
- Source: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rsbl.2006.0476 (PDF)
Furthermore:
"The measure of gold purity derives from the time of the Emperor Constantine when a new gold coin was struck at 72 to the Roman pound, meaning that each coin weighed 24 siliquae or carats."
- Source: Ibid
"The Roman pound or "Libra" (Latin for 'scale'/'balance') is equivalent to 328.9 g (11.60 oz). It was divided into 12 unciae (singular: uncia), or ounces. The libra is the origin of the abbreviation for pound, "lb"."
- Source: Wikipedia
"In Troyes [France], merchants measured 480 grains of barley to equal a troy ounce, and 12 troy ounces equaled one troy pound.
Some historians, however, believe the troy ounce had its origins in Roman times. Romans standardized their monetary system using bronze bars that could be broken down into 12 pieces called "uncia" or ounce, with each piece weighing around 31.1 grams."
-Source: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/troyounce.asp
The Troy pound is 12 troy ounces or 5760 grains (373.24172g). The imperial pound is 16 imperial ounces (453.59237g).
The French Carolingian monetary system used the Livre, which derived its name from the Roman Libra and equated to a pound of silver.
The British monetary pound Sterling emerged after the adoption of the French sytem around 800AD. The value of £1 Sterling in the year 800 was equal to 11.25 troy ounces of silver.
Further reading:
Bronze "Aes Grave" and "Rudera" and the transition from metal weights to early money: https://andrewmccabe.ancients.info/EarlyMoney.html
