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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.
Stadia
Stadia is a technique of measuring distances with a telescopic instrument. The term stadia comes from a Greek word for a unit of length originally applied in measuring distances in athletic contests. The word denoted 600 Greek feet, or 606 ft 9in by present day American standards.
Stadia readings,used in surveying,can be taken with today’s modern instruments such as transits, theodolites, and levels. When using the stadia measuring method, the cross wires of the instrument and a measurement rod is used. A transit or level equipped for stadia work has two additional horizontal cross wires spaced equidistant from the center of the telescope. The interval between stadia wires in most stadia instruments gives a vertical intercept of 1 ft on a rod held 100 ft away. The distance to a rod decimally divided into feet, tenths, and hundredths can be read directly. This system is sufficiently precise for locating topographic details such as rivers, bridges, buildings, and roads which can be plotted on a map scaled smaller than 1 in. = 200 ft.
The stadia method is based upon the principal that in similar triangles homologous sides are proportional. The stadia method is good when accuracy of 1/400 is acceptable. In a transit there are 3 horizontal wires and 1 vertical wire. The center horizontal wire is used for normal sights. The top and bottom wires are the stadia lines. The principal is relatively simple when you take a reading at 100’ the distance between the top and bottom wires is 1’. Therefore Distance = 100 * l (stadia). The transit or level must be horizontal for this formula to work.
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.
Generally the sexagesimal or decimal multiples have Mesopotamian origins while the septenary multiples have Egyptian origins.
| Unit | Daktylos | Metre | feet or podes |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1 "shusi") = | 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 ≈ | 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 ≈ | 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 ≈ | 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 = | 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 ≈ | 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 = | 1920 (daktylos) | = 37.008 m | = 120 feet or podes (= 480 palms) |
| khet side = | 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 = | 9336 (daktylos) | = 180 m | = 300 great cubits (= 2334 palms) |
| 1 minute of march = | 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 Olympic 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 Ptolomaic stade, cable = | 11520 (daktylos) | = 222 m | = 720 Greek pous (= 2880 palms) |
| 1 stade of Eratosthenes = | 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 Xenophon = | 280000 (daktylos) | = 5.397 km | = 17500 Greek pous (= 70000 palms) |
| 1/10 degree = | 560000 (daktylos) | = 10.797 km | = 35000 Greek pous (= 140000 palms) |
| 1 schœnus = | 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 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 Olympus 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.
Area
- 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 khœnix (pl khœnikes), 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
- ≈ 25 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