Obol 15.29 Drachma . . . . . .91.77 Mina 1 41 93.69 Talent . . . 75 51 n-ss These weights were used for all commodities, except such as were expressly required by law to be sold by the silver standard.
This commercial standard is most probably, as Bockh has shown, the real ancient Attic standard, as it existed before the time of Solon. The purpose of Solon's change was to lower the value of money, in order to relieve debtors. The only direct information we have of the nature of the change is the statement of Plutarch, that "Solon made the mina of 100 drachmm, which had formerly contained 73," which is probably a mistake made by Plutarch, through not understanding the words of Androtion, whose authority he follows. The true meaning seems undoubtedly to be, that out of the same quantity of silver which in the ancient standard made 73 drachmae, Solon coined 100, or a mina ; that is, that he lowered the standard in the ratio of 100 : 73. Now the ratio of the commercial to the silver standard is 138 : I00=100: 72,7,. Hence the commercial standard and the old Attic only differed by a small fraction.
Still this ratio of 100 : 73 is a very singular one for Solon to have adopted. Bockh suggested that Solon meant to lower the standard by a quarter, that is, in the ratio of 100 : 75, and that the new coinage (by an accident of not uncommon occurrence in minting) was found, 2. The -Eginetan talent.—Pollux (ix. 76, 86) says that the A'ginetan talent contained 10,000 Attic drachma:, and the rEginetan drachma 10 Attic obols, which would give the ratio of 5 : 3 for that of the rEginetan to the Attic talent. According to this statement, the
rEginetan drachma weighed 110 grains English. Now the existing coins give an average of only 96 grains; and the question therefore is whether we are to follow Pollux or the coins. Mr. Hussey takes the latter course, explaining the statement of Pollux as referring to the debased drachma of later times, which was about equal to the Roman denarius. Bockh adheres to the statement of Pollux, explaining the lightness of the existing coins by the weRknown tendency of the ancient mints to depart from the full value. He has supported his view by some very strong and ingenious arguments, and on the whole he appears to be right.
There were other talents used by the Greeks and Romans, most of which seem to have been derived from one of these two standards, but the accounts of ancient writers respecting them are very contradictory. Their values are discussed at length by Bcickh, Hussey, and Humphrey. The most important variations of the rEginetau standard were those used in Macedonia, Corinth, and Sicily.
The above talents were all reckoned in silver money. There was also a talent of gold, which was much smaller. It was used chiefly by the Greeks of Italy and Sicily, whence it was called the Sicilian talent as well as the gold talent. It was equal to 6 Attic drachma, that is, about; oz. and 71 grs. It was divided by the Italian Greeks into 24