The Attic talent was a unit of weight and a denomination of money equal to 6,000 drachmae or 60 minae. As a measure of weight, it was equal to about 57 lb. avoirdupois (26 kilograms). In ancient Greece, where its use as a money term would generally refer to a weight of pure silver, it was considered a large sum of money. (For comparison, at November 2007 silver prices of about $15 US per ounce, a silver talent would be worth over $13,000; At a price more typical for the preceding 20 years, of $5 per ounce, it would still be worth $4,500. Note that these figures are broad estimates of purchasing power. In terms of prevailing wages the ancient talent would be worth even more today, since ancient peoples made less money in purchasing power terms. Also note that a talent or any other measure of gold would be worth one to two orders of magnitude more money than a like measure of silver -- about 50 times more in late 2007.)
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