Volume
Neck amphora depicting an athlete running the hoplitodromos by the Berlin Painter, ca. 480 BC, Louvre. |
Greeks measured volume according to either dry or liquid capacity, suited respectively to measuring grain and wine. A common unit in both measures throughout historic Greece was the cotyle or cotyla whose absolute value varied from one place to another between 210 ml and 330 ml. The basic unit for both solid and liquid measures was the κύαθος (kyathos, plural: kyathoi).
The Attic liquid measures were:
| Unit | Greek name | Equal to | Metric equivalent | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kochliarion | κοχλιάριον | 4.5 ml | spoon | |
| xēmē | χήμη | 2 kochliaria | 9.1 ml | |
| mustron | μύστρον | 21⁄2 kochliaria | 11.4 ml | |
| konchē | κόγχη | 5 kochliaria | 22.7 ml | |
| kyathos | κύαθος | 10 kochliaria | 45.5 ml | |
| oxybathon | ᾿οξυβαθον | 11⁄2 kyathoi | 68.2 ml | |
| tetarton, hēmikotylē | τέταρτον, ἡμικοτύλη | 3 kyathoi | 136.4 ml | |
| kotylē, trublion or hēmina | κοτύλη, τρύβλιον, ἡμίνα | 6 kyathoi | 272.8 ml | |
| xestēs | ξέστης | 12 kyathoi | 545.5 ml | Roman sextarius |
| chous | χοῦς | 72 kyathoi | 3.27 l | |
| keramion | κεράμιον | 8 choes | 26.2 l | Roman amphora |
| metrētēs | μετρητής | 12 choes | 39.3 l | amphora |
| Except where noted, based on Smith (1851). Metric equivalents are approximate. | ||||
and the Attic dry measures of capacity were:
| Unit | Greek name | Equal to | Metric equivalent | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kochliarion | κοχλιάριον | 4.5 ml | ||
| kyathos | κύαθος | 10 kochliaria | 45.5 ml | |
| oxybathon | ᾿οξυβαθον | 11⁄2 kyathoi | 68.2 ml | |
| kotylē or hēmina | κοτύλη, ἡμίνα | 6 kyathoi | 272.8 ml | |
| xestēs | ξέστης | 12 kyathoi | 545.5 ml | Roman sextarius |
| choinix | χοῖνιξ | 24 kyathoi | 1.09 l | |
| hēmiekton | ἡμίεκτον | 4 choinikes | 4.36 l | |
| hecteus | ἑκτεύς | 8 choinikes | 8.73 l | a sixth of a medimnos |
| medimnos | μέδιμνος | 48 choinikes | 52.4 l | |
| Except where noted, based on Smith (1851). Metric equivalents are approximate. | ||||
Read more about this topic: Ancient Greek Units Of Measurement
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