Take, for example, the ancient use of mass standards: stones carved into regular shapes like spools, cubes, and ovals that were placed in balance pans to weigh goods. These can be found buried deep in the archaeological record, appearing from around 3000 BC onwards. This is centuries before the first descriptions of ‘royal’ standards appear, suggesting rulers co-opted as much as they created consistent standards of measure. Despite the lack of any central regulation, these ancient mass standards are incredibly consistent in their values.
Heck yeah
