On the unit UŠ = šuššān (original) (raw)

Recently I recieved a pleasant shock after reading an old copy of a 1911 ed. Encyclopedia Britannica entry entitled "Weights and Measures" found online here: <https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911\_Encyclop%C3%A6dia\_Britannica/Weights\_an d_Measures> In a section pertaining to old abolished units was this reference: <English Weights and Measures Abolished.-The yard and handful, or 40 in. ell, abolished in 1439. The yard and inch, or 37 in. ell (cloth measure), ＝ abolished after 1553; known later as the Scotch ell 37•06. Cloth ell of 45 ＝ in., used till 1600. The yard of Henry VII, 35•963 in. Saxon moneyers pound, or Tower pound, 5400 grains, abolished in 1527. Mark, 2/3 ＝ pound 3600 grains. Troy pound in use in 1415, established as monetary pound 1527. Troy weight was abolished, from the 1st of January 1879. by the Weights and Measures Act 1878. with the exception only of the Troy ounce, its decimal parts and multiples, legalized in 1853, 16 Vict. c. 29, to be used for the sale of gold and silver articles, platinum and precious stones. Merchant's pound, in 1270 established for all except gold, silver and ＝ medicines 6750 grains, generally superseded by avoirdupois in 1303. Merchant's pound of 7200 grains, from France and Germany, also superseded. ("Avoirdepois" occurs in 1336, and has been thence continued: the ＝ Elizabethan standard was probably 7002 grains.) Ale gallon of 1601 282 cub. ＝ in., and wine gallon of 1707 231 cub. in., both abolished in 1824. Winchester corn bushel of 8 × 268•8 cub. in. and gallon of 274.1/4 are the oldest examples known (Henry VII.