The legacy of Roman-Byzantine metrology and the early weight norms of the Arab caliphate

Abstract

An attempt is made to trace the path of the formation of the weight systems of the Arab Caliphate. A number of early Islamic metrological artifacts are considered, indicating the undoubted influence of the Roman-Byzantine metrological traditions, clearly traceable until the completion of the reforms initiated by Caliph Abd al-Malik bin Marwan (685–705). Well-preserved
weights make it possible to establish the use in the practice of performing small weighings of this period of weight norms corresponding to or multiples of the Roman-Byzantine ounce (out of 6 solid miscals in 1/72 of a Roman pound). Weight norms are fixed, multiples of 1/81 and 1/70 of the Roman pound, as well as the weight of the post-reform Umayyad dinar. Weight norms are also fixed, multiples of dirhams formed in the proportions of 2/3 (for weight dirhams) and 7/10 (for coin dirhams) of the listed miscals. The large denominations of the official early Islamic weights correspond to various variants of convenient, used in everyday life, or formed during the reform of Abd al-Malik, counting and weight norms. Such kettlebells are known, as a rule, in single copies. Finally, the structure of large Umayyad weight units was formed during the reign of Caliph al-Walid bin Abd alMalik (705–715), when serial kettlebells appeared, the inscriptions on which contain the name of the weight denomination – “ratl”. Of unconditional interest is the fixation of the weights of the counting and weight norms corresponding to the weight of hundreds of silver coins. The practice of counting coins by the hundreds, combined with the large-scale export of silver dirhams, traces of which we can still find even in very remote regions of Western and Eastern Europe, could have a significant impact on the development of early medieval European monetary systems.