The increased demands of trade, which was based on the exchange of goods, led to a fairly early development of a system of weights and measures. The use of a common system was used by craftsmen and merchants in a pre-monetary society to determine the value of goods.

Our knowledge of weight values in Minoan trade comes from the numerous lead weights found in Minoan settlements. Some of them are inscribed with signs representing their value. All Minoan weights seem to correspond to a common system, ranging from 60 to 64 grams; the weights of a second category varied from between 480 and 510 grams. It is considered that during the time before the destruction of the Late Minoan I period (1600-1550) another secondary system was also in use but was subsequently abolished. The basic weight unit as well as its subdivisions correspond exactly to the Linear A and Linear B tablets on which special ideograms were used to represent the weight of goods.

The spread of various systems of weights and measures in early civilizations shows that prehistoric societies had developed commercial relations, and the use of the same system in different parts of the Aegean indicates regular exchanges. The Minoan system was widespread in the Aegean, reflecting the intensive commercial activity of the Minoans. Minoan type lead weights have been found in Agia Irini on Kea, but probably one of the largest finds of weights was made in the Akrotiri settlement on Thera where the full adoption of Minoan weights and measures is obvious. The same system was widely used in mainland Greece during the Late Bronze Age (1600-1050 BC).