mass · Mesopotamia / Levant · Antiquity

mina (Mesopotamian)

variant

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

Definition

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

Reference value by variant

mina (Mesopotamian) covers several documented traditions, each with its own value. Choose a variant below to see a figure.

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 by variant

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