Measuring Mass

Measuring mass and force, together with the measuring of the linear dimensions that will be exposed in the next chapter, represent the first step in developing science and technology. Examples of balance scales from Mesopotamia and Egypt are dated to the 5th millennium B.C. but their use became common in nearly all populations of that time.

With respect to devices, the first ones were probably those designed to measure mass, since a yarn with some knots to measure a length can not be considered a real device. The impetus for the design of mass measuring devices quite certainly came from the trades.