only in hieratic). The sign
which represents a container of grain on its side, and forms a part of many words for different kinds of grain (see page 47) was also used in these expressions. When the amount was equal to or more than 100 hekat, this sign was written with the number of hundreds before it, and the signs for any smaller number of hekat next after it. Also 50 hekat and 25 hekat were put down as 1⁄2 and 1⁄4.[1] The number of whole hekat was followed by “Horus eye” fractions and by ro and fractions of a ro. In the case of 2, 3, or 4 ro the sign
for the word ro was written under the number, while this sign without a number stood for 1 ro, and the fractions of a ro came after the sign.
Furthermore the Egyptians had not only the system of a simple
hekat and its parts and multiples, but also systems of a double
hekat and a quadruple
hekat with their parts and multiples, each part or multiple of a double
hekat being twice the corresponding part or multiple of a simple
hekat, and each part or multiple of a quadruple
hekat four times the corresponding part or multiple of a simple
hekat; and they had the peculiar way of writing an expression for a large quantity of grain in the double and quadruple systems that they used for simple
hekat. The double
hekat was indicated by doubling the vertical sign in the word for
hekat and the quadruple
hekat by introducing an additional grain sign with four grains over it
, but when these signs are not given we cannot always be sure that the system indicated is the simple system.
[2] The quadruple hekat seems to have been called sometimes “a great
hekat” (Griffith, volume 14, page 432), or “a great quadruple
hekat” (Problem 68
[3]).
We get information as to the size of these various measures, and, in particular, of the hekat, from Problems 41-46, where the capacities of certain granaries are computed from their dimensions. Here the unit of length is the cubit (meh), supposed to be the royal cubit, equal to 20.62 inches. The author states that 2⁄3 of a cubed cubit is the khar, and then
- ↑ It looks as if the Egyptians thought of a hundred-hekat as a unit.
- ↑ Double hekat are indicated only in Problems 82 and 84. The quadruple system is used in the granary problems, Problems 41-46, in Problems 47 and 68, and in Number 86. When there is no indication of either the double or quadruple system, it may be possible sometimes to determine the system by the nature of the problem. In the pefsu problems (69-78) the number of loaves made from a hekat of material varies from 5 to 45. I should be inclined to think that even a simple hekat would make 5 rather large loaves. But in some of the problems the numbers may have been taken at random without thought of any particular application, and in some cases it may not have been the intention to restrict the problem to a particular system, it being equally good whether the hekat are simple, double or quadruple hekat.
- ↑ But not in Problems 41-47 as Peet implies (page 26).
