User:Wtrmute/Talent

(note: starting from page 947 through page 949).

TALENTUM (τάλαντον) meant originally a balance (vid. Libra), then the substance weighed, and lastly and commonly a certain weight, the talent. The Greek system of money, as well as the Roman (vid. As), and those of most other nations, was founded on a reference to weight. A certain weight of silver among the Greeks, as of copper among the Romans, was used as a representative of a value, which was originally and generally that of the metal itself. The talent, therefore, and its divisions, are denominations of money as well as of weight.

The Greek system of weights contained four principal denominations, which, though different at different times and places, and even at the same place for different substances, always bore the same relation to each other. These were the talent (τάλαντον), which was the largest, then the mina (μνᾶ), the drachma (δραχμή), and the obolus (ὀβολός). Their relative values are exhibited in the following table:

The multiples and subdivisions of the drachma and obolus have been noticed under Drachma.

1. The Attic Talent.—It appears from existing coins, which we have every reason to trust, since the Attic silver money was proverbially good, that the drachma, which was the unit of the system, weighed 66.5 grams. (vid. Drachma.) Hence we get the following values for the Attic weights in English avoirdupois weight:

These values refer to the time after Solon, for we have no drachmæ of an earlier date. We may, however, arrive at a probable conclusion respecting the state of things before Solon's reform of the currency, by referring to another standard of the talent, which was used in commercial transactions, and the mina of which was called the commercial mina (ἡ μνᾶ ἡ ἐμπορική). This mina is mentioned in a decree, the date of which is uncertain (about the 155th Olympiad, or B.C. 160, according to Böckh), as weighing 138 drachmæ, Στεφαιηφόρον, according to the standard of weights in the silver mint. (Vid. Argyrocopeion.) In this system, however, the relative proportion of the weights was the same as in the other; we have, therefore,

These weights were used for all commodities except such as were required by law to be weighed according to the other standard, which is also the one always used for money, and is therefore called the silver standard. No date is mentioned for the introduction of this system: it was, therefore, probably very old; and, in fact, as Böckh has shown, there is every reason to believe that it was the old system of Attic weights which was in use before the time of Solon. Solon is known to have lowered the standard of money in order to relieve debtors; And Plutarch informs us, on the testimony of Androtion, that "Solon made the mina of 100 drachmæ, which had formerly contained 73." It is incredible that a large prime number, such as 73, should have been used as a multiplier in any system of weights; but what Plutarch meant to say was, that Solon made a mina, or 100 drachmæ, out of the same quantity of silver which was formerly used for 73 drachmæ. The proportion, therefore, of the ancient weights to those fixed by Solon was 100 : 73. Now, this was very nearly the proportion of the commercial mina to the silver mina, namely, 138 : 100 = 100 : 73$32/69$. But why should Solon have adopted so singular a proportion? It was probably an accident. Böckh has shown that in all probability Solon intended to reduce the mina one fourth, that is, to make 100 drachmæ of the new coinage equal to 75 of the old, but that, by some inaccuracy of manufacture, the new coins were found to be a little too light; and, as Solon's coinage furnished the standard for all subsequent ones, the error was retained. In fixing upon one fourth as the amount of the reduction, Solon seems to have been guided by the wish of assimilating the Attic system to another which was extensively used, but the origin of which is unknown, namely, the Euboïc talent, which will presently be spoken of.

The commercial weights underwent a change by the decree mentioned above, which orders that 12 drachmæ of the silver standard shall be added to the mina of 138 drachmæ; that to every five commercial minæ one commercial mina shall be added; and to every commercial talent five commercial minæ. Thus we shall have,

the mina = 150 drachmæ (silver), 5 minæ = 6 minæ (commercial), the talent = 65 minæ (commercial).

The five-minæ weight of this system was equal to 7 lbs. 13¾ oz. 14.96 grs. avoirdupois, and the talent to 85 lbs. 2½ oz. 70.7 grs.

"The weights were kept with great care at Athens. The standards or models (σηκώματα) were deposited at the Acropolis; and there were others in the keeping of persons appointed to take charge of them, in the Prytaneum at Piræus and at Eleusis."

The other Greek weights are computed from their relationship to the Attic, as stated by ancient writers, and from existing coins. Unfortunately, the writers do not always agree with the coins, nor with each other.

2. The Euboïc Talent is often reckoned equivalent to the Attic. Herodotus makes the Babylonian talent equal to 70 Euboïc minæ, Pollux to 7000 Attic drachmæ, i.e., to 70 Attic minæ. Comparing these two statements, we find that the Attic and Euboïc weights were equal. But it is likely that Pollux is not quite right, and that the Euboïc standard was a little greater than the Attic: for Ælian gives 72 Attic minæ for the value of this same Babylonian talent, which would make the ratio of the Euboïc to the Attic 72 : 70, which is the same as 75 : 72$11/12$. In this fact we have ground of the supposition stated above, that Solon intended to assimilate the Attic standard to the Euboïc: for we have seen that the old Attic talent was to Solon's as 100 : 72$32/69$. Assuming that Solon intended this ratio to have been 100 : 75, we have the intended value of Solon's talent to its actual value as 75 : 72$32/69$, which is almost identical with the ratio of the Euboïc talent to the Attic talent of Solon. The Euboïc talent would therefore exceed the Attic merely by the error which was made in the formation of the latter.

Another computation of the Euboïc talent is given by Appian, who makes it equal to 7000 drachmæ, i.e., 70 minæ of Alexandrea. (See below, on the Alexandrean talent.)

Festus, in the Excerpta of Paulus, makes it equal to 4000 denarii. This is clearly an error: Very probably applied the statement of Festus respecting the Rhodian talent to the Euboïc. (See below, on the Rhodian talent.)

The Romans seem to have reckoned both the Euboïc and the Attic talents equal to 80 Roman pounds.