<P> The name `` stone '' derives from the use of stones for weights , a practice that dates back into antiquity . The Biblical law against the carrying of `` diverse weights , a large and a small '' is more literally translated as `` you shall not carry a stone and a stone ( אבן ואבן ) , a large and a small '' . There was no standardised `` stone '' in the ancient Jewish world , but in Roman times stone weights were crafted to multiples of the Roman pound . Such weights varied in quality : the Yale Medical Library holds 10 and 50 - pound examples of polished serpentine , while a 40 - pound example at the Eschborn Museum ( see right ) is made of sandstone . </P>
<P> The name `` stone '' derives from the use of stones for weights , a practice that dates back into antiquity . The Biblical law against the carrying of `` diverse weights , a large and a small '' is more literally translated as `` you shall not carry a stone and a stone ( אבן ואבן ) , a large and a small '' . There was no standardised `` stone '' in the ancient Jewish world , but in Roman times stone weights were crafted to multiples of the Roman pound . Such weights varied in quality : the Yale Medical Library holds 10 and 50 - pound examples of polished serpentine , while a 40 - pound example at the Eschborn Museum ( see right ) is made of sandstone . </P>
where does the weight measurement stone come from
where does the weight measurement stone come from
the use of stones for weights
the use of stones for weights