Origin of the "@"

[Bibiphoque]

Hello,
While dragging on the net, I found this:
"The productions are indicated both in metric tons and (according to the use more widespread) in pots or flasks.This word comes from the Spanish frasco, it indicates an iron bottle which has been dimensioned so as to weigh (full of mercury) three Castilian arrobas. The arroba was a unit of weight used in the Middle Ages by the Spaniards and the Portuguese. It was worth 11,502 kg. Its symbol was the famous @ which was chosen for the Internet addresses. Its origin is Arabic [ar-roub]. A potiche thus contains 34,5 kg of pure mercury. In the Anglo-Saxon market, mercury prices are expressed in US dollars per potiche of 76 pounds (34,4736 kg). To make the table easier to read, the number of pots has been rounded. For Almadén and Monte Amiata, the tonnage indicated is that of the district. "

So it would be the mercury at the origin of this famous "@" !!
I found it interesting to communicate it.
@+

[Christophe]

This is not the origin I had heard ... I read (I think because it makes a link) that it was a symbol used by monks to refer to an abbey or something of the kind .. .

Finally according to this page we do not know where it comes from: http://www.arobase.org/culture/arobase.htm

[Bibiphoque]

Hello,
On another forum I was given this link here:
http://hapax.qc.ca/Pourquoi_arrobe_dans_10646.html
That does not seem to be in contradiction with what I posted + top.
(ps not access to your link: filtered by the job)
@+