Attic talent
The Attic talent (Greek τάλαντον, talanton for balance, weight; talentum Latin ), also called Athenian talent or Greek talent called, is an ancient unit of mass, which corresponds to about 26 kg. Like other ancient units of measurement for mass talent by Aufwägen of pure silver ( rare gold or copper) was used as currency.
Originally a talent corresponded to the amount of water that is needed to fill an amphora, which had a volume of 39 liters.
An Attic talent corresponded to 60 mines and 6,000 drachmas, or 36,000 oboloi. The base of the Attic Münzstandards was the tetradrachm from silver with a weight of 17.2 grams. From this, the weight of a talent of silver are determined to 25.8 kg (1500 tetradrachms à 17.2 grams).
The talent and mine are in the monetary system but purely numerical quantities, the largest coin in Athens was the decadrachm
Subdivision
The Attic talent is divided as follows:
This division of the Attic talent remains unchanged in the Greco- Hellenistic world over the centuries.
Purchasing power
Purchasing power comparisons are generally difficult, so here is just a few numbers:
From his silver mines at Laurion involved Athens in some years 200 talents of silver, equivalent to 5.2 tons of silver. According to Thucydides, the annual average was the revenue from the contributions of allies in the Athenian confederacy 600 talents ( 15.6 tons of silver ), in addition camped on the acropolis 6000 talents of silver (156 tons of silver ). As a total amount of annual contributions were in the Attic Confederacy originally 460 talents have been imposed in 431 BC Athens but moved eg only 430 talents of its allies.
A judge ( Heliast ) since received since Pericles 425 per meeting a mite, on instigation of Cleon BC three oboloi (ie, half a drachm ) per day. For a mite give a Chous wine (about 3 liters). The entrance to the theater would cost 2 obols, which corresponded to the daily wage of the poor in the population.
In Athens, the average salary for a skilled worker was a drachma a day towards the end of the fifth century and a half drachms of 377 BC The pay of a hoplite was in the fourth and fifth centuries also one drachma per day. For 3 drachmas was obtained in Athens at the end of the fifth century a Medimnos grain, which corresponds to an amount of about 52 liters.
In the construction of the Parthenon a sculptor received 60 drachmas for each figure of the frieze, as is evident from an inscription on the building.
During the Peloponnesian War, the pay of a rower ( Theten ) was a drachma a day. A trireme with 200 rowers therefore alone cost to pay for the rowers a talent of silver per month. A fleet of one hundred ships had so per month wage cost of 100 talents ( 2.6 tons of silver ) only for the rowers. According to Meier the wages for a rower was only half a drachma per day. In approximately 200 man crew the wages per vessel per day, which cost around 100 drachmas, in the month 3000, that was half a talent. A fleet of one hundred ships, so if it had been six months in the service, labor cost of 300 talents.