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<p>[QUOTE="EWC3, post: 4540256, member: 93416"]Just checked and Google agrees I correctly translate French livre (489g) as “pound” (which unless specified might be 454g imperial or 373g troy).</p><p><br /></p><p>So it seems to me acceptable in a general context to translate both a Roman Libra/Litra (327g) and Attic mina (437g) as kinds of “pounds”</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>You are right that some numbers are special to some cultures. EG 60 to the Babylonians, 12 to the Romans. There is a reasonably plausible narrative that makes a penny a reduced quarter shekel and so 4 x 1/240 = 1/60</p><p><br /></p><p>However what might be going on here is different I think. The key idea being that the Jews were only rarely independent enough to strike silver coins, but they were very active in trade, and fixed their weights cleverly so that they could easily convert to the standards of greater powers. And there are two fairly easy ways to do that around the first century. We have a quote from Josephus that seems to say a Jewish mina was 30 Roman ounces – and we have an official looking weight of Herod of near exactly 15 Roman ounces. An Israeli archaeologist - Amos Klone – cites Bar Kokhba weights that fit that standard. However, a different Israeli - Robert Deutsch – cites heavier Bar Kokhba weights that seem to fit 30 sela (Tyre tets.)</p><p><br /></p><p>What I am wondering is - are they both right?</p><p><br /></p><p>15 Roman oz = 96 Attic drachms = low Judean (c. 400g) but also</p><p><br /></p><p>16 Roman oz = 30 sela = Attic mina = high Judean (c. 426g)</p><p><br /></p><p>If anyone thinks this is a stunt – then I would say it kind of is – but because it is the nature of numbers themselves to pull stunts that human beings tend to find hard to keep track of.</p><p><br /></p><p>Rob T[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="EWC3, post: 4540256, member: 93416"]Just checked and Google agrees I correctly translate French livre (489g) as “pound” (which unless specified might be 454g imperial or 373g troy). So it seems to me acceptable in a general context to translate both a Roman Libra/Litra (327g) and Attic mina (437g) as kinds of “pounds” You are right that some numbers are special to some cultures. EG 60 to the Babylonians, 12 to the Romans. There is a reasonably plausible narrative that makes a penny a reduced quarter shekel and so 4 x 1/240 = 1/60 However what might be going on here is different I think. The key idea being that the Jews were only rarely independent enough to strike silver coins, but they were very active in trade, and fixed their weights cleverly so that they could easily convert to the standards of greater powers. And there are two fairly easy ways to do that around the first century. We have a quote from Josephus that seems to say a Jewish mina was 30 Roman ounces – and we have an official looking weight of Herod of near exactly 15 Roman ounces. An Israeli archaeologist - Amos Klone – cites Bar Kokhba weights that fit that standard. However, a different Israeli - Robert Deutsch – cites heavier Bar Kokhba weights that seem to fit 30 sela (Tyre tets.) What I am wondering is - are they both right? 15 Roman oz = 96 Attic drachms = low Judean (c. 400g) but also 16 Roman oz = 30 sela = Attic mina = high Judean (c. 426g) If anyone thinks this is a stunt – then I would say it kind of is – but because it is the nature of numbers themselves to pull stunts that human beings tend to find hard to keep track of. Rob T[/QUOTE]
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