Deben (unit)
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Deben water-N)
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The deben was an ancient Egyptian weight unit.
Early Dynastic Period
The earliest evidence for deben is from the Early Dynastic Period. It was found at the site of Buto in Nile Delta. The weighing stone was uncovered in an archaeological context from Second Dynasty, in the so-called "labyrinth" building, it bears the inscription of the "friendly is the heart of Horus, director" (of the installation) "Hemsemenib". The inscribed value is of 3 deben, representing a unit of 29 grams (1.0 oz), likely the earliest copper deben.[2] Based on this evidence, it was argued recently that copper and gold deben were used since Early Dynastic Period in ancient Egypt.[3]
Old and Middle Kingdom
Set of balance beams and weighing stones from 10 to 100 units, likely deben, was painted on the wall of the tomb of Third Dynasty official Hesy-Ra at Saqqara.[4] Stone weights from the Old Kingdom have been found, weighing about 13.6 g (0.48 oz; 0.44 ozt), giving presumed value of the gold deben, e.g. the weighing stone of king Userkaf.[5] The same unit was used for the jasper weighing stone of the First Intermediate Period king Nebkaure Khety. From the Middle Kingdom date deben weight units used for particular metals, referred to as copper deben and gold deben, the former being about twice as heavy (27 g (0.95 oz; 0.87 ozt)) as the latter. Such weights from the Middle Kingdom were discovered at Lisht, using gold deben,[6] and copper deben.[7]
Second Intermediate Period
At the Second Intermediate Period site of Tell el-Dab'a were found sets of sphendonoid weighing stones confirming the use of shekel weighing system, both "Syrian" (9-9.5 g) and "Mesopotamian" (c. 8.1-8.5 g).[8] Here presumably stems the changed weighing system of the New Kingdom, with a completely different deben unit.
New Kingdom
From the
Protocurrency
It has been speculated that pieces of metal weighing a deben were kept in boxes,
Legacy
Deben appeared in the
).See also
References
- ISBN 0-521-77483-7.
- OCLC 39833382.
- ISBN 978-90-04-52769-0.
- OCLC 1123959096.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Weight: 5 deben | Old Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "Seventy deben weight | Middle Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ "Weight: 23 1/4 debens, with cartouche of Senwosret | Middle Kingdom". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- – via Propylaeum.
- ISBN 978-90-04-04211-7, retrieved 2023-07-22
- ISBN 0-313-32501-4p.270
- ISBN 0-521-08230-7, p.389
- ISBN 978-90-04-04211-7, retrieved 2023-07-22
- ^ George A. Reisner, "The Household Furniture of Queen Hetep-heres I", BMFA 27, No. 164, December 1929, pp. 83-90
- ^ R. Lepsius, Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien, Abth. II, Bl.96
- ISBN 1-84511-335-7, p.245
- ISBN 0-521-08230-7, p.390