mass · Mesopotamia / Levant · Antiquity

mina (Mesopotamian)

variant

Record: M165
Definition quality: Variant-dependent
Conversion mode: variant selection
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Definition

mina (Mesopotamian) is a mass measurement concept whose value depends on the named historical, regional, textual, or commodity variant.

Reference value

later ref ≈0.5 kg; Early Dynastic ≈0.55–0.68 kg

History & use

ORACC explicitly reports Early Dynastic minas around 0.55–0.68 kg.

Modern use

Retained primarily for historical, educational, or reference use rather than as a current standardized calculator unit.

Did you know?

Variation is itself historically important: the same unit name did not guarantee the same mass across periods.

Documented variants

Mesopotamian mina (later reference standard)

mass · Mesopotamia / Levant · Antiquity

One Mesopotamian mina (later reference standard) is understood to be about 0.4998 kilograms.

approx.

Early Dynastic Mesopotamian mina (range)

mass · Mesopotamia / Levant · Antiquity

Surviving evidence places one Early Dynastic Mesopotamian mina (range) between 0.55 and 0.68 kilograms. It is recorded as a range because the documented values were not uniform.

range

Sources & evidence

Source tier Tier A · confidence High

Dalton/u is 1/12 of the mass of a free carbon-12 atom in its ground state. CODATA 2022: 1.66053906892(52)×10^-27 kg.

approx.

Greek talent

mass · Ancient Greece / Rome · Antiquity

Greek talent was not one universal standard.

variant

mina (Mesopotamian)

Definition

Reference value

History & use

Modern use

Did you know?

Documented variants

Mesopotamian mina (later reference standard)

Early Dynastic Mesopotamian mina (range)

Sources & evidence

Related measurements

gram

kilogram

tonne

ounce (avoirdupois)

pound (avoirdupois)

stone

dalton / unified atomic mass unit

Greek talent