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== Length ==

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

* The Ionian ] 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 ] 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.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Greek length measures together with others for comparison
! Unit !! Daktylos !! SI (Metric) !! Feet or podes
|-
! (1 ''shusi''<!--Mesopotamian-->)
| 1 (little finger) || 14.49 mm || 0.05 feet or podes
|-
! 1 ''daktylos''
| 1 (ring finger) || 19.275 mm || 0.06 feet or podes
|-
! 1 ''uncia''<!--Roman?--> ≈
|1.33 (thumb or inch)|| 25.64 mm || 0.08 feet or podes
|-
! 1 ''condylos''
| 2 (daktylos) || 38.55 mm || 0.13 feet or podes
|-
! 1 ''palaiste'', palm
| 4 (daktylos) || 77.1 mm || 0.25 feet or podes (1 palm)
|-
! 1 ''dichas''
| 8 (daktylos) || 154.2 mm || 0.51 feet or podes (2 palms)
|-
! 1 ''spithame''
| 12 (daktylos) || 231.3 mm || 0.76 feet or podes (3 palms)
|-
! 1 ''pous'', foot
| 16 (daktylos) || 308.4 mm || 1.01 feet or podes (4 palms)
|-
! 1 ''pygon'', remen
| 20 (daktylos) || 385.5 mm || 1.26 feet or podes (5 palms)
|-
! 1 ''pechya'', cubit
| 24 (daktylos) || 462.6 mm || 1.52 feet or podes (6 palms)
|-
! 1 English cubit<!--? common 18 or alleged 19.2 inches?--> ≈
| 25 (daktylos) || 493.44 mm || 1.62 feet or podes
|-
! 1 Egyptian royal cubit<!--?--> ≈
| 28 (daktylos) || 539.7 mm || 1.77 feet or podes (7 palms)
|-
! 1 ''bema''
| 40 (daktylos) || 771 mm || 2.53 feet or podes (10 palms 1 double remen)
|-
! 1 yard<!--English?--> ≈
| 48 (daktylos) || 925.2 mm || 3.04 feet or podes (12 palms)
|-
! 1 ''xylon''
| 72 (daktylos) || 1.3878 m || 4.55 feet or podes (18 palms)
|-
! 1 ''passus''<!--Roman?-->
| 80 (daktylos) || 1.542 m || 5 feet or podes (20 palms; 1 Roman pace)
|-
! 1 ''orguia''
| 96 (daktylos) || 1.8504 m || 6 feet or podes (24 palms; 1 fathom)
|-
! 1 ''akaina''
| 160 (daktylos) || 3.084 m || 10 feet or podes (40 palms)
|-
! 1 English rod ≈
| 264 (daktylos) || 5.0886 m || 17 feet or podes (66 palms)
|-
! 1 ''hayt''
| 280 (daktylos) || 5.397 m || 18 feet or podes (70 palms; 10 royal cubits)
|-
! 1 perch<!--English?--> ≈
| 1056 (daktylos) || 20.3544 m || 66 feet or podes (264 palms)
|-
! 1 ''plethron''
| 1600 (daktylos) || 30.84 m || 100 feet or podes (400 palms)
|-
! 1 ''actus''<!--Roman?-->
| 1920 (daktylos) || 37.008 m || 120 feet or podes (480 palms)
|-
! ''khet'' side<!--Egyptian?-->
| 2800 (daktylos) || 53.97 m || 175 feet or podes (700 palms; 100 royal cubits)
|-
! English acre side
| 3333 (daktylos) || 64.359 m || 208.71 feet or podes (835 palms)
|-
! 1 Persian stade
| 8400 (daktylos) || 161.9 m || 525 feet or podes (2100 palms)
|-
! 1 minute<!--Roman?-->
| 9336 (daktylos) || 180 m || 300 great cubits (2334 palms)
|-
! 1 minute of march<!--Egyptian?-->
| 9500 (daktylos) || 183.3 m || 350 royal cubits (2450 palms)
|-
! 1 ''stadion''
| 9600 (daktylos) || 185 m || 600 Greek pous (2400 palms)
|-
! 1 Roman ''stadium''
| 9600 (daktylos) || 185 m || 625 Roman pes (2400 palms)
|-
! 1 ] ''stadios''
| 10000 (daktylos) || 192.8 m || 625 Greek pous (2500 palms)
|-
! 1 English furlong
| 10560 (daktylos) || 203.544 m || 660 Greek pous (2640 palms)
|-
! 1 ] ''stade'', cable<!--English?-->
| 11520 (daktylos) || 222 m || 720 Greek pous (2880 palms)
|-
! 1 ''stade'' of ]
| 12000 (daktylos) || 231 m || 750 Greek pous (3000 palms)
|-
! 1 ''diaulos''
| 19200 (daktylos) || 370 m || 1200 Greek pous (4800 palms)
|-
! 1 ''millos''
| 80000 (daktylos) || 1.542 km || 5000 Greek pous (20000 palms)
|-
! 1 English mile ≈
| 84480 (daktylos) || 1.628352 km || 5280 English feet (21120 palms)
|-
! 1 ''dolichos''
| 115200 (daktylos) || 2.221056 km || 7200 Greek pous (28800 palms)
|-
! 1 ''stadia'' of ]
| 280000 (daktylos) || 5.397 km || 17500 Greek pous (70000 palms)
|-
! 1/10 degree
| 560000 (daktylos) || 10.797 km || 35000 Greek pous (140000 palms)
|-
! 1 ''schϓnus''
| 576000 (daktylos) || 11.1024 km || 36000 Greek pous (144000 palms)
|-
! 1 ''stathmos''
| 1280000 (daktylos) || 24.672 km || 80000 Greek pous (320000 palms)
|-
! 1 degree
| 5760000 (daktylos) || 111 km || 360000 Greek pous (1440000 palms)
|}

; 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 ]. There are variations, from 296 mm (]) to 326 mm (])
; 1 ''pugon'', ]ic 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 '']'' (pl. ''stadia'') := 6 ''plethra'' = 600 ''podes'' ≈ 185.4 ].
; 1 ''diaulos'' (pl. ''diauloi'') := 2 ''stadia'', only used for the Olympic footrace introduced in ].
; 1 ''dolikhos'' := 6 or 12 ''diauloi''. Only used for the Olympic footrace introduced in ].
; 1 ''parasanges'' := 30 ''stadia'' ≈ 5.5 km. Persian measure used by ], for instance.
; 1 ''skhoinos'' (pl. ''skhoinoi'', lit. "reefs") := 60 ''stadia'' ≈ 11.1 km (usually), based on ] ''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 ] 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 ], 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 boustrdon 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 nautical mile of 1850 m.

Several centuries later, ] and ] used 500 stadia to a degree, but their stadia 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 ], who used 700 stadia of 157.5 m or 300 Egyptian royal cubits to a degree, and for ], ], and ], whose stadia likewise measured the same degree.

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


== Area == == Area ==

Revision as of 17:01, 16 March 2007

Aroura redirects here; you may have arrived here while searching for Aurora

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


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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
the shepard will eat your heart

Miscellaneous

muriade
10,000
1 jampoot = ~45 kg
1 foot = ~4 big turds

External links

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