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The Greek system of weights and measures was built mainly upon the Egyptian, and formed the basis of the later Roman system.

Length

Like the Mesopotamian units, where the cubit or ku was divided into two different digits (shusi of about 17 mm or uban of about 20 mm) and hands (qat), the Greek units also have long, median and short forms.

• The Ionian pous is a typical short pous measuring 296 mm
• The Attic pous measures 309.4 mm
• The Athenian pous measures 316 mm and is considered of median length
• Long pous are actually remen (4 hands) and pygons
• See Cubit for the discussion of the choice of division into hands or palms

Generally the sexagesimal or decimal multiples have Mesopotamian origins while the septenary multiples have Egyptian origins.

1 daktulos (pl. daktuloi), digit

= 1/16 pous

1 condulos

= 1/8 pous

1 palaiste, palm

= ¼ pous

1 dikhas

= ½ pous

1 spithame, span

= ¾ pous

1 pous (pl. podes), foot

≈ 316 mm, said to be 3/5 Egyptian royal cubit. There are variations, from 296 mm (Ionic) to 326 mm (Doric)

1 pugon, Homeric cubit

= 1¼ podes

1 pechua, cubit

= 1½ podes ≈ 47.4 cm

1 bema, pace

= 2½ podes

1 khulon

= 4½ podes

1 orguia, fathom

= 6 podes

1 akaina

= 10 podes

1 plethron (pl. plethra)

= 100 podes, a cord measure

1 stadion (pl. stadia)

= 6 plethra = 600 podes ≈ 185.4 m.

1 diaulos (pl. diauloi)

= 2 stadia, only used for the Olympic footrace introduced in 724 BC.

1 dolikhos

= 6 or 12 diauloi. Only used for the Olympic footrace introduced in 720 BC.

1 parasanges

= 30 stadia ≈ 5.5 km. Persian measure used by Xenophon, for instance.

1 skhoinos (pl. skhoinoi, lit. "reefs")

= 60 stadia ≈ 11.1 km (usually), based on Egyptian river measure iter or atur, for variants see there.

1 stathmos

≈ 25 km, one day's journey. May have been variable, dependent on terrain.

For reference, the stadion at Olympia measures 192.3 m. With a widespread use throughout antiquity, there were many variants of a stadion, from as low as 157 m up to 211 m, but it is usually stated as 185.4 m.

The Greek root stadios means to have standing. Stadions are used to measure the sides of fields.

In the time of Herodotus, the standard Attic stadion used for distance measure is 600 pous of 308.4 mm egual to 185 m. so that 600 stadia egual one degree and are combined at 8 to a mia chilioi or thousand which measures the boustredon or path of yoked oxen as a distance of a thousand orguia, taken as one orguia wide which defines an aroura or thousand of land and at 10 agros or chains equal to one nauticle mile of 1850 m.

Several centuries later, Marinus and Ptolemy used 500 stadia to a degree, but their stadi were composed of 600 remen of 370 mm and measured 222 m, so the measurement of the degree was the same.

The same is also true for Eratosthenes, who used 700 stadia of 157.5 m or 300 Egyptian royal cubits to a degree, and for Aristotle, Poseidonus, and Archimedes, whose stadia likewise measured the same degree.

The 1771 Encyclopædia Britannica mentions a measure named acæna which was a rod ten (Greek) feet long used in measuring land.

Area

1 aroura

= ~2700 m², The ground covered by a yoke of ploughing oxen in one day.

Volume

1 kotule (pl. kotulai)

= ¼ kheonix, liquid measure

1 khϓnix (pl khϓnikes), khoinix

≈ 1.1 l, initially used for wheat

1 modios, bushel

= 8 kheonikes

1 medimnos

= 48 kheonikes

Dry measures:

1 kotule

= 6 kuathoi

1 khous

= 12 kotulai

1 metretes

= 12 choes ≈ 34 l

Weight and monetary

1 medimnos

≈ 40 kg

1 talent

= 60 minae

1 mina

= 100 drachmae

1 decadrachm

= 10 drachmae, coin only

1 tetradrachm

= 4 drachmae, coin only

1 stater, didrachmon

= 2 drachmae, coin only

1 drachma

= 4.5–6 g, weight of silver coin

1 diobolus

= 2 oboloi = 1/3 drachmae

1 obolus

= 1/6 drachma, silver

1 chalkos

= 1/8 obolus, copper

Miscellaneous

muriade

10.000

External links

• "History 310: Greek Coinage and Measures". History/Classics 310. Retrieved December 15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

• Obsolete units of measure
• Human-based units of measure