Ancient weights and measures: Difference between revisions

Many systems of weights and measures have existed throughout history. The definitions of many units were often vague and inaccurate, and although the roots of many of the units were the same, the actual value of a unit differed from country to country, or region to region.

Egyptian units

Length

• Royal cubit -- Forearm, 52.4 cm, uncertainty 0.5 cm
• palm -- 1 / 7 Royal cubit
• digit -- 1 / 4 palm
• short cubit -- 6 / 7 Royal cubit
• double remen -- 74.1 cm, the length of the diagonal of a royal cubit square
• remen digit -- 1 / 40 double remen

Greek units

Length

• pous -- Foot, also podes, 31.62 cm, said to be 3 / 5 Egyptian Royal cubit. There is also an Ionic foot at 29.6 cm, and a Doric foot at 32.6 cm
• finger -- 1 / 16 pous
• short cubit -- 9 / 8 pous
• Homeric cubit -- 5 / 4 pous
• cubit -- Forearm, 3 / 2 pous, 47.43 cm
• orguia -- Fathom, 6 pous
• akaina -- 10 pous
• plethron -- 10 akaina
• stadion -- 100 orguia, or 189.72 m

Volume

• cheonix -- Alt. choinix, approx. 1.1 l. Initially used for wheat.
• modios -- Bushel, 8 cheonix

Weight

• talent -- 60 mina
• mina -- 100 drachma
• drachma -- Weight of silver coin, 4.5 to 6 g

Monetary

• decadrachm -- 10 drachma
• tetradrachm -- 4 drachma
• stater -- Also didrachm, 2 drachma
• drachma -- Silver coin
• obolo -- Silver coin, 1/6 drachma. The obolus was the sum that one used for charitable deeds
• chalkoi -- Copper coin, 1/8 obolo

Roman units

Length

• pes -- Foot, (pl. pedes), is 29.6 cm. There is some uncertainty, The Roman Land Surveyors by Dilke gives 29.57 cm. In early ages, the value was 29.73 cm.
• digitus -- Digit (pl. digiti), is 1/16 pes.
• uncia -- Inch, lit. one twelfth (pl. unicae), also pollex for thumb, is 1/12 pes.
• palmus -- Palm (pl. palmi), 1/4 pes.
• palmus major -- Hand, 3/4 pes
• palmipes -- Palm and foot, 1 pes plus 1 palmus
• cubitus -- Forearm, 1 pes plus 2 palmi or 44.4 cm
• braccio Fiorentino -- 55/28 pedes
• gradus -- Step, 2 pedes plus 2 palmi
• passus -- Pace (pl. passuum), basic military unit, is 5 pedes
• canne Romana -- 3 gradus
• pertica decempida -- Perch, 10 pedes
• actus -- Also a unit of length, is 120 pedes
• stadium -- From Greek unit, 1/8 mille passus or 185 m.
• mille passus -- Mile, lit. thousand paces (pl. milia passuum), is 1000 passuum or 1480 m.
• league -- 1.5 milia passuum.
• schoenus -- 4 milia passuum

Area

• actus -- Furrow, 120 · 4 pedes²
• actus quadratus -- Furrow squared, 120² pedes²
• iugerum -- Acre, also jugerum, (pl. iugera), 2 actus quadratus
• heredium -- Heritable plot (pl. heredia), 2 iugera
• centurium -- Houndred (pl. centuria), 100 heredia
• saltus -- 4 centuria
• scriptulum -- Sometimes used for 1/288 iugerum

Volume

• sextarius -- Pint (pl. sextarii), 0.5801 l; There is some uncertainty.
• cochlearia -- Spoonfull, 1/48 sextarius
• cyathi -- Shot, liquid measure 1/12 sextarius, also 10 drachmae as a dry measure
• acetabula -- Small cup, 1/8 sextarius
• quartarius -- Fourth part (pl. quartaria), 1/4 sextarius
• hemina -- Half a pint, lit. "less" (pl. heminae), 1/2 sextarius
• cheonix -- From Greek, 3/2 sextarii
• semodius -- Half a modius, dry measure (pl. semodii), is 8 sextarii
• modius -- Peck, dry measure (pl. modii), is 16 sextarii
• congius -- Liquid measure, (pl. congii), is 12 heminae
• amphora -- Jar, (pl. amphorae) 8 congii
• culleus -- Leather sack, liquid measure, 20 amphorae

Weight

• libra -- Pound (pl. librea), is 0.327 kg. The pound varied significatly, since most ofhe standards were obtained from the weight of particular coins. This value is based on the Gold Aureus of Augustus which was in use from 27 BC to AD 296. The earliest bronze coins of Rome 338 BC to 268 BC were 0.273 kg.
• uncia -- Ounce, lit. one twelfth (pl. unciae), is 1/12 libra
• deunx -- 11 unciae
• dextans -- 10 unciae
• dodrans -- 9 unciae
• bes -- 8 unciae
• seprunx -- 7 unciae
• semis -- 6 unciae * quincunx -- 5 unciae
• triens -- 4 unciae
• quadrans -- 3 unciae
• sextans -- 2 unciae
• sescuncia -- 1.5 unciae
• semuncia -- 1/2 uncia
• siscilius -- 1/4 uncia
• sextula -- 1/6 uncia
• semisextula -- 1/12 uncia
• scriptulum -- 1/24 uncia

Persian units

Volume

• chenica -- 1.32 l, probably related to the Greek cheonix

British units

Length

• league -- Usually three miles.

See also Imperial system of units

Norwegian units

Length

• alen -- Forearm, 62.75 cm.
• favn -- Fathom, 1.882 m. This unit is used until this day for measuring firewood.
• fjerding -- Quarter mile, 1/4 mil, i.e. 2.8 km.
• fot -- Foot, 1/2 alen.
• mil -- Norwegian mile, 18000 alen or 11.295 km. The unit survives to this day, but in a metric 10 km adaptation.
• tomme -- Thumb (inch), 1/12 fot, approx. 2.61 cm. This unit was commonly used for measuring timber until the 1970s.

Area

• mål

Volume

• skjeppe -- 1/8 tunna, i.e. 17.4 1.
• tønne -- Barrel, 139.2 l.

Weight

• bismerpund -- 5.16 kg
• laup -- Used for butter, 17.93 kg (approx. 16.2 l). 1 laup is 3 pund or 4 spann or 72 merker.
• mark -- Used for butter, (pl. merker), 249.06 g.
• skippund -- Ships pound, approx. 159.4 kg (somewhat depending on region and what was measured)
• spann -- Same as laup.
• våg -- 1/8 skippund, i.e. approx. 18.52 kg.

Monetary

• ort -- See riksdaler and spesiedaler.
• riksdaler - Until 1813, Norwegian thaler. 1 riksdaler is 4 ort or 6 mark or 96 skilling.
• skilling -- Shilling, see riksdaler and spesiedaler.
• spesiedaler -- Since 1816. 1 spesiedaler is 5 ort or 120 skilling. From 1876, 1 spesiedaler is 4 kroner (Norwegian crown, NOK).

Finnish units

In Finland, approximate measures derived from body parts and such has been used for a long time, some of which were later standardised for the purpose of commerce. Some Swedish, and later some Russian units have also been used.

• vaaksa -- The distance between the tips of little finger and thumb, when the fingers are fully extended.
• kyynärä -- (c. 60 cm) The distance from the elbow to the fingertips.
• syli -- (c. 180 cm) The distance between the fingertips of both hands when the arms are raised horizontally on the sides.
• virsta -- 2672 m (Swedish) 1068.84 m (Russian)
• peninkulma -- (c. 10 km) The distance a barking dog can be heard in still air.
• poronkusema -- (c. 7.5 km) The distance a reindeer walks between two spots it urinates on. This unit originates from Lapland.
• leiviskä -- (8.5004 kg)
• kappa -- (5.4961 l) Still in use at market places to measure the amount of potatoes.
• tynnyrinala -- (4936.5 m²) The area (of field) that could be sowed with one barrel of grain.
• kannu -- (2,6172 l)
• kortteli -- Used for both length (14.845 cm) and volume (3.2715 dl).

US units

See U.S. customary units.