Weights And Measures Reform

Zupco presents the legacies of the Middle Ages to the pioneering reformers of the Scientific Revolution; the monumental impact of math, physics, chemistry, astronomy, & technology on modern metrology; the creations, struggles, & successes of the Metric System; & the intense battles between metrics & customary metrologies that have waged since the end of the 18th cent. Includes insights into the personalities involved in metrological events: scientists, technologists, bureaucrats, ministers, members of scientific soc., & shows the impact of scientific experimentation & social revolutions. Includes a comprehensive biblio. of European metrology & the sources relevant to the underpinnings for this period in weights & measures history. Illus.

This book explores the reasons for which weights and scales were used to measure goods in Early Mesopotamia (ca. 3,200-2,000 BCE). The vast corpus of cuneiform records from this period sheds light on the various mechanisms behind the development of this cultural innovation. Weighing became the means of articulating the value of both imported and locally-produced goods within a socioeconomic system that had reached an unprecedented level of complexity. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of this cultural and economic phenomenon, which simultaneously reflected and shaped the relationships between individuals and groups in Mesopotamia throughout the third millennium BCE.