The mĕnē is an ancient Mesopotamianunit of weight for gold or silver and one of the earliest written words for money. The mĕnē, like the shekel, was also a unit of currency. In ancient Greece, it originally equalled 70 drachmae and later was increased to 100 drachmae. The Greek word mna was borrowed from Semitic; compare Hebrew māneh, Aramaicmĕnē, Syriac manyā, Ugaritic mn, and Akkadian manū. However, before it was used as currency, a mene was a unit of measurement, equal to 567 grams. One mĕnē of gold would be worth $23,000 USD and one mĕnē of silver would be worth $300 USD at today's metal prices. In folk language used by sailors, the wordmina or mines came to mean "mines", indicating mineral resources extracted from the ground. From earliest Sumerian times, a mĕnē was a unit of weight. At first, talents and shekels had not yet been introduced. By the time of Ur-Nammu, the mĕnē had a value of 1/60 talents as well as 60 shekels. The value of the mĕnē is calculated at 1.25 pounds or 0.571 kilograms per mĕnē. Evidence from Ugarit indicates that a mĕnē was equivalent to fifty shekels. The prophet Ezekiel refers to a mĕnē as sixty shekels, in the Book of Ezekiel. Jesus of Nazareth tells the "parable of the mĕnē" in Luke 19:11-27. From the Akkadian period, 2 mĕnē was equal to 1 sila of water.
Menē Jewelry
In early 2016, noted gold investor Roy Sebag began to study and write about the global jewelry market which contributes the majority of the world's annual gold demand far exceeding demand for gold investment coins. Following extensive travels to India, Asia, and Southeast Asia, Sebag recognized an opportunity in bringing the ancient tradition for jewelry being a store of enduring value and accessible savings to the West. In October 2016, Sebag founded Mene Inc. a luxury online jewelry venture along with Diana Widmaier Picasso the granddaughter of Pablo Picasso. Menē derives its name from the ancient Mesopotamian unit of measurement, the Mene reflected 567 grams of pure gold and was one of the earliest written words for money. Menē designs, manufactures, and markets timeless 24 karat gold jewelry under the brand name Menē. The company retails its jewelry direct-to-consumer through a transparent and empowering online shopping experience. Through Mene.com, customers can buy, sell, and exchange their jewelry by weight at the prevailing daily price for gold as quoted on the international bullion markets. Menē is currently in closed private beta and will launch to the greater public in the fall of 2017.
In the Code of Hammurabi which is arguably the first example of written law, mene is one of the most used terms denoting the weight of gold to be paid for crimes or to resolve civil conflicts.
