The Evolution of Ancient Egyptian Weights and Measures

Ancient Egypt, renowned for its architectural marvels and cultural advancements, also stands out in history as the birthplace of standardized measurement systems. Dating back to approximately 3100 B.C., the Egyptians introduced the concept of scales to facilitate trade, although they relied on a barter system rather than coined currency. Instead, they assigned values to metals such as gold, silver, and copper, laying the groundwork for a structured economy.

The earliest concrete evidence of standardized units of weight and the use of weighing scales dates to around 2600 B.C. during the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, particularly evident in artifacts excavated from the reign of Sneferu. These artifacts, including Deben balance weights, provide insight into the precision and sophistication of ancient Egyptian craftsmanship.

Throughout the Old and Middle Kingdom periods, spanning approximately 2025 to 1700 B.C., inscribed weights corroborate the existence of units weighing around 12-14 grams and 27 grams. References to "small and large deben" in accounts from the late Middle Kingdom suggest variations in weight measurement standards. Furthermore, distinctions are made between a gold deben and a copper deben, with the former likely equivalent to 12-14 grams and the latter to 27 grams.

However, during the New Kingdom, significant changes occurred in the measurement system. The deben, which previously equated to approximately 12-14 grams, was now standardized to 91 grams. This adjustment reflects the evolving needs of the society and its economy over time.

For finer measurements, the qedet, equivalent to 1/10 of a deben, and the shematy, equal to 1/12 of a deben, were utilized. These subdivisions allowed for greater precision in commercial transactions and further underscored the meticulous attention to detail evident in ancient Egyptian trade practices.

In conclusion, the ancient Egyptians' development of standardized weights and measures represents a pivotal advancement in human civilization. From the introduction of scales for trade to the refinement of measurement units over successive dynasties, their contributions laid the foundation for modern systems of commerce and quantification.
The Evolution of Ancient Egyptian Weights and Measures

Ancient Egyptian Math Skills

Around 6000 BC, the ancient Egyptians settled in the fertile Nile valley, where they began observing lunar phases and seasonal patterns for agricultural and religious reasons.

Within their society, mathematics played a pivotal role, being applied to tasks such as measuring time, establishing straight lines, evaluating Nile flood levels, computing taxes, surveying land areas, managing financial transactions, and even in culinary endeavors.

The numerical system employed by ancient Egyptians endured from about 3000 BC until the early first millennium AD. This system relied on multiples of ten, often rounded to higher powers, and was expressed through hieroglyphs. Distinct symbols represented one unit, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, and one million.

In contrast to the positional notation of the decimal system, the ancient Egyptians did not embrace such a concept. Instead, their proficiency lay in working with unit fractions, where the numerator was consistently one. These fractions were skillfully applied to express volumes of irregularly shaped objects and to address problems related to areas and volumes.
Ancient Egyptian Math Skills

Egyptians standard measure of length

Standard systems of measure are essential for commerce engineering, and science. Around 3000 BC, ancient Egyptian scholars develop the cubit, a standard measure of length. The word cubit, meaning “elbow” is also of Latin origin.

Define as the length of an arm from the elbow to the tip of the thumb, the cubit measures approximately 18 inches (46 cm), while the royal cubit was the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger, equal to 52.5 cm.

Since the cubit was the length of a forearm and Egyptian men were of varied height and arm length, there were different cubit units.

In the Vedic tradition, the cubit was called the aratni (elbow) and the half cubit was called the vitasti (hand span). Egyptologists have shown that the base of the Great Pyramid was measured carefully using an integral number of Egyptians cubits and hence an integral number of Egyptians digits.
Egyptians standard measure of length

How the Egyptians predict the Nile floods?

Agriculture in ancient Egypt depended upon the flooding of the Nile River. The rich silt from the Nile’s annual flood regularly renewed the fertility of Egyptians farmland.

The floodwater irrigated the fields and the depth of the inundation determined how much land could be cultivated. Around 3000 BC Egyptian scholars invent a device called the nilometer to predict the extent of the flood. The nilometer is used to determine the depth of the Nile at a given point and time, allowing scholars to predict whether or not the flood will supply a sufficient amount of water for the crops.

The purpose of the measurement of the Nile flood in earlier times was to facilitate the prediction of famine or prosperity and the determination of how labor would be allocated during the summer months.

The nilometer also helps determine if a flood has the potential to put nearby cities in danger. When the river was not flooding, Egyptians dug channels in the riverbanks. These were used to move water away from the river. The channels would feed into large ponds that acted as reservoirs.
How the Egyptians predict the Nile floods?

Ancient timekeeping device: Gnomon

The timekeeping devices used by different cultures are remarkably similar. The early inventions of the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamian and Greece were crude and merely measured the amount of daylight versus nighttime hours.

The first of these devices is the gnomon, an early sundial. Sundials are considered to be the oldest form of timekeeping, although not in the form in the modern-day design.

The gnomon is essential a large stick place in direct sunlight. The time of day is determined by following the position of the shadow cast by the gnomon.

When the sun roses in the east, the pole will cast a long shadow to the west as the sun is shining directly onto the eastern-facing side of the pole.

As the sun rises in the sky, the shadow will slowly move to the northeast, finally pointing north at noon when the sun is at its highest in the sky, then gradually moving to the southeast as the sun sets, before ending in exactly the opposite position from its position at sunrise as the sun sinks beneath horizon.

The Babylonians and Egyptians divided the day into 12 units, six for sunrise to noon and six from noon to sunset.

Gnomons are used in Egypt in timekeeping for thousands of years. According to hieroglyphics texts, the measurement of time was central to the daily life of ancient Egyptians as early as the Old and the Middle Empires.

Greek astronomers of the Hellenistic period (around 550 BC) used the gnomon, a pole placed in the ground in an open field or area.
Ancient timekeeping device: Gnomon 

Egyptians develop a hieroglyphic system of writing

Hieroglyphics make their first appearance around 3100 BC. This system of writing was developed by Egyptians. The word hieroglyph actually comes from the Greek and means ‘sacred writing in stone’.

Hieroglyphics consist of pictures that depict common objects. As a more sophisticated system develops pictures are used to represent sounds so the writing could be read phonetically.

Hieroglyphic developed ins stages, as was the case with all writing systems. At first, only the simplest symbols were developed. Then the number of symbols increased, making it easier to read. It was essentially unchanged for several thousand years until about 500 BC when the number of symbols again increased dramatically. The demise of hieroglyphic writing coincided with the rise of Christianity.

Discovering the scientific advances of the ancient world translating scrolls and other hieroglyphics writings has allowed modern scholars to learn about the achievements of the ancient Egyptians.

For centuries after the close of the Egyptian empire, hieroglyphics were a mystery that no one could read. Then in 1822 Jean Francois Champollion, a brilliant young French linguist discovered the key to reading the Rosetta Stone, a tablet with writing in hieroglyphics, demotic and Greek, Hieroglyphic writing could be deciphered.
Egyptians develop a hieroglyphic system of writing