Standardised Binary Weights System of the Indus
- Date
- c. 2600 BCE
- Category
- Economy & trade
- Region
- Indus Valley (Pakistan/NW India)
- Era
- Ancient Civilizations
- Significance
The Mature Harappan civilisation adopted a remarkably precise and uniform system of weights and measures across its vast territory.
Weights were cut from chert and other stones into accurate cubes following a binary-decimal progression (ratios of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and so on, then shifting to decimal multiples for larger units), with a base unit of roughly 0.85-0.87 grams. The same standards appear at sites hundreds of kilometres apart, from Harappa to Mohenjo-daro to Lothal, implying centralised regulation of trade, taxation and exchange over a 500-year span. Standardised linear measures and brick proportions (often 1:2:4) accompanied the weights. This metrological uniformity, sustained without any deciphered administrative texts, points to sophisticated bureaucratic control of commerce and is among the earliest systematic weight standards in the world, underpinning both internal markets and long-distance trade with Mesopotamia and the Gulf.
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Empires active in c. 2600 BCE
- Egyptian Old Kingdom2686 BCE – 2181 BCE
- Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilization2600 BCE – 1900 BCE
- Elamite Kingdom2700 BCE – 539 BCE
Related economy & trade events
- Meluhha: Indus Trade with Akkadian Mesopotamiac. 2400-2300 BCE
- Old Assyrian trade network and the karum of Kaneshc. 1950–1750 BCE
- Hatshepsut's expedition to the Land of Puntc. 1469 BCE
- The Uluburun Shipwreck: Late Bronze-Age International Tradec. 1320–1300 BCE
- The Secondary Products Revolution: wool, traction and transportc. 3500–3000 BCE
- Crisis of the Third Century and the Collapse of the Roman Denarius235–285 AD
Further reading
The wider story
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
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