829 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



830 



1-0119 pounds averdupois. The moyo is 22'39 bushels. The almude 

 is 3-6407 gallons. The foot is 12'944 inches. 



/Vussm. (New system, established 1816.) The Cologne* marc is 

 3609 grains. Two marcs are a commercial pound, or 1-0311 pounds 

 averdupoia. The scheffel is 1"5116 bushels. The eimer is 15'11 gallons. 

 The foot is 12-356 inches ; the ell, two-thirds of a metre. The morgen, 

 or acre, is 2 roods 21 perches. 



Rome. The pound is 5234 grains, or '7477 pound averdupois. The 

 rubbio (4 quarte) is 8-1012 bushels. The barile (32 boccali) is 12-841 

 gallons. The foot is 11'72 inches. The builders' canna, of 10 palms, 

 is 87 96 inches. 



Russia. There is but one pound, -9026 of a pound averdupois. The 

 pood is 36 Ib. averdupois. The chertwert is 57698 bushels. The 

 vedro is 2'7048 gallons. The inch is the English one ; the arshine is 

 28 inches ; the foot is 13J inches ; but the English foot is in common 

 use. The dessetina is 2 acres, 2 roods, 32 perches. . 



Saxony. For gold and silver, the Cologne marc. The commercial 

 pound is 1'0294 Ib. averdupois. The Dresden wispel (24 scheffels) is 

 69-85 bushels; the Leipzie wispel, 91747 bushels. The Dresden 

 eimer is 14'89 gallons ; the Leipzie eimer 1675 gallons. The Dresden 

 foot is 11-14 inches; the Leipzie foot is 11-13 inches. The acre is 



1 acre, 1 rood, 18 perches. 



/. The pound is 7 pounds averdupois. The cantaro grosso is 

 192-5 pounds averdupois; the cantaro sottile is 175 Ib. averdupois. 

 The salma groesa is 9'46 bushels ; the salma generale 7'59 bushels. 

 The salma of wine is 19-23 litres. The palmo is 9-5 inches. 



Smyrna. The chequee is 4958 grains. The rottolo is 1'2"48 pounds 

 averdupois. The killow is 11'3 gallons. The pike is 27 inches. 



Spain. The Castilian marc for gold and silver is 4800 grains. The 

 commercial pound is 1-0144 pounds averdupois. The fanega is 

 1'55 bushels. The arroba of wine is 3'538 gallons. The foot is 

 11-128 inches: the vara is 33'384 inches. The fanegada (for corn- 

 land) is 1 acre, 21 perches. 



Sweden. The Mint marc is 3252 grains. The commercial pound' is 

 9376 Ib. averdupois. The dry tunna is 4-028 bushels ; the liquid 

 tunna is 48 kauns of -5756 gallons each. The foot, or half-ell, is 

 11-684 inches. The tunneland is 1 acre, 35 perches. 



'< d States. The weights and measures are those of England 

 before the late alterations. 



Venice The marc for gold and silver is 3681-5 grains. The pound 

 pao (/rosso is 1-0518 Ib. averdupois. The pound peso sottile is -664 pound 

 averdupois. The stajo is 2-2 bushels. The anfora is 114-1 gallons. 

 The braccio for woollen is 26'61 inches ; for silk, 24'8 inches. The foot 

 is 13-68 inches. 



We now proceed to the weights and measures of the ancients, taking 

 first the relations of the various denominations to one another, and 

 afterwards the fundamental comparisons of their values with the 

 modern weights and measures. 



The Romans had a mode of dividing the as or libra which they 

 transferred upon occasion to any unit. The whole, whether an as 

 or anything else, consisted of twelve unciie, so that the uncia be- 

 came little more than a name for the twelfth part. The division 

 stood thus 



14 unciie was Sescuncia, or Sescunx. 



2 Sextans (a sixth). 



3 Quadrans (a fourth), or Tenincius. 



4 Triens (a third). 



5 , Quincunx. 



6 , Semis, or Semissis (a half ). 



7 , Septunx. 



8 , Bes, or Bessis. 



9 , Dodrans. 



1 , Dextans, or Decuncis. 



11 Deunx. 



The libra of weight was thus subdivided : 3 siliqusc, one obolus ; 



2 oboli, one scrupulum ; 4 scrupula, one sextula ; 6 scrupula, one sici- 

 licus ; 8 scrupula, one duella ; 3 duellic, one uncia; 12 unciie, one 

 libra. In later times the uncia was divided into 8 drachma; of 



3 scrupula each. This mode of dividing an integer into 288 scrupula 

 runs through other branches of their system, and is also used in sub- 

 division of a unit. The obolus in the preceding system rather belongs 

 to a later period in which the Greek divisions were introduced, the 

 ounce being made 8 drachmae of 3 scrupula or 6 oboli each. The uncia 

 appears (as oiryyia) in the later Greek writers. 



In the measures of length the pes, or foot, was divided not only into 

 12 uncise, but also into 16 digiti. In such Roman foot-rules as have 

 been found, all have the digital division, some both, but none the 

 uncial without the digital And 4 digiti are one palmus ; 4 palmi, one 

 pes; 1J pedes, one palmipes; 1J pedes, one cubitus; 2J pedes, one 

 gradus ; 2 gradus, or 5 pedes, one passus ; 2 passus, one decempeda ; 

 12 decempedse, one actus ;t 1000 passus, one milliare. 



* This weight, established by Charles V. as the standard of the precious 

 metals throughout Germany, has varied in different places from 3606 to 3612 

 grains. 



t The actus is described as the length of a furrow. If our furlong had been 

 (u some would suppose) a furrow long, it would have been nearer to the 

 Human actus, not one-eighth of a mile. 



The jugerum was an area of which the scrupulum (or 288th part) 

 was the square decempeda, or 100 square feet. It was frequently 

 divided uncially, and also as follows : 36 scrupula made 1 clima, 4 

 climata, 1 actus quadratus ; 2 actus quadrati, 1 jugerum ; 2 jugera, 1 

 heredium ; 100 heredia, 1 centuria ; 4 centurioo, 1 saltus. The actus 

 minimus was 480 square feet. The versus was 10,000 square feet. 

 The aripennis (whence ai-penf) was a Gallic measure which Columella 

 defines as semi- jugerum, but whether of Romans or Gauls is not clear. 

 The amphora, or quadrantal,* for liquid measure, was a cubic foot : 

 4 ligulse made 1 cyathus ; 6 ligula;, 1 acetabulum ; 2 acetabula, 1 quar- 

 tarius ; 2 quartarii, 1 hemina ; 2 heminse, 1 sextarius ; 6 sextarii, 1 

 congius ; 4 congii, 1 urna ; 2 urnac, 1 amphora ; 20 amphorae, 1 culeus. 

 In Galen the cochleare is the tenth of a ligula. 



The modius, or modium, of dry measure, was 16 sextarii, or the 

 third part of the amphora, or cubic foot. The sextarius was divided 

 in the same manner as in liquid measure. The concha is mentioned as 

 a smaller measure than the ligula. 



The Greek weights have been discussed in the article TALENT. Six 

 o/3oAoi make one Spawn ; 100 Spax/uu, one lain, (iniua) ; 60 p-vau, one 

 avrov. The x"^ KOS <"*& * ne AeirToi/ are mentioned as subdivisions 

 of the o/JoAos, but are not generally recognised. 



As to length, the irour, or foot, was thus divided : 4 SamrvAoi 

 make one iroAaioTTj; 12 8aKTuAoi, one mrt8ap.ri ; 4 TraAaicrTot, one TTOUS; 

 14 iroSfs, one ITTJ^US ; 4 iri)X '*> one opyiiia; 100 iroSts, one ir\tBpov ; 

 6 irAeflpa, or 600 iroSes, one ffraoW. [STADIUM.] The 5o;y; is the 

 AaioTTj in some writers, the <riri8o/U7; in others. The iraAaio-TTj is also 

 called ScutTuAoSoxM'? and Sapor. The Aixs is 10 SaxruAoi, the opSoSapoi/ 

 is 11 SaKTi/Aoi, the irvy/j.ri 18, and the irvyav 20 SaKTuAoi. The 8ix< is 

 half a TOUS, the 77/10 is 1'J iroSes. The v\ov is 4J iroSey, and the 

 n.uos 10 TroSfs. The o-Ta8ioc was once called ouAor, and the Siav\os 

 is 2 o~ra8ia. The araSwv Inrucof is 4 <TTo8ia, and the SoAi^os is 12 

 <TTo5io generally, but is variously used. We must also mention the 

 Kor$u\os of 2 SaKTwAoi, and the a,u,ua of 60 iroSts. The Greeks have 

 taken the <rxoims (variously described) from the Egyptians, the IU\LOV 

 from the Romans, and the irap<ura.y-f]s, which is 30 stadia, according to 

 Herodotus and Xenophon, from the Persians. The iroi/s (piAeraipior, or 

 Philetaerian foot, though used by Greek writers, is not originally 

 Greek, and is said to be longer by a fifth than the Roman foot. All 

 writers agree that the common Greek irous is longer than the Roman 

 foot by the 24th part of the latter. 



The TtKfSpov in square measure was a square of the side of a 

 irAefyoi/ in length, or 10,000 square TroSer. The apovpa was the fourth 

 part of the v\e8po ; but the Egyptian &povpa mentioned by Herodotus 

 is the square of 100 Egyptian cubits. 



In liquid measure, 2 KOX Ampm make one xw> ; 2 KoxAiopia, one 

 luxrrfov; 2 nvarpa, one 1107 xn> 2 Koyxti, one KuaOos; 3 Koyx<"> one 

 6v/3a<poi' ; 2 o{ua<f>a, one reraproi' ; 2 TfTapra, one (toruAi; ; 2 KOTI/AUI, 

 one {<7Tt|t ; 6 i<rrai, one \ovs ; 12 x> one /WTPTJTTJS. The /uerpTjTijs is 

 said to have been an amphora and a half, and the KuaSos to have con- 

 tained 10 drachms of wine. The \ayvvot, or \ay-iivos, was the same as 

 the x " 5 - There were also the XWI 7a>O"> an d tne luiarpov yfupymoi', 

 rural measures. The HTPT)TTJS was also called a/jupopevs and KaSos. 



In dry measures, the nioi/u'os was one-third larger than the ^erpijTTjj 

 (or was two Uoman amphorae), and was thus divided : Ten /toxAmpia 

 made one Kvados ; 15 woxAiapia, one o^vBatpov-, 4 ov@atpa, one KOTI/ATJ; 

 2 KorvAai, one {(Tn)s ; 2 {f <rrai, one x"" ! * x"" Kf s> one li/ueKTOv ; 2 

 ijfjiieKTa, one IKTOS ; 6 4/cToi, one jueSt^roy. There are various descriptions 

 of the x""tt from which it may be that there are several measures of 

 the name. The Greeks mention the Persian axafTi of 45 /j.fSi/j.voi, the 

 apTajSTj, of one peoinvos, and the Kavifhi of 2 x "'"'". The Bojotian 

 Ktxfivos is 3 x fs ' the Homeric aS8i{ is 4 x"" Kes ! the papis is 6 

 KorvAcu; the a\a&affTpov1' is the KOTU\IJ. 



The following measures are identical in pairs, if the /teJi/upos be two 

 amphonc : The x"s and the congius ; the feffTjjv and the sextarius ; 

 the KOTV\IJ and the hemina ; the rfraprov and the quartarius ; the 

 ovfia(pov and the acetabulum ; the /cuoflor and the cyathus. 



All the Greek measures above given are Attic : there are some 

 variations of description which, if not erroneous, probably belong to 

 other parts of Greece. It is customary to give the Greek and Roman 

 measures in two collections, without any attempt to distinguish the 

 times at which they were in use ; so that Homer and Athenseus, or 

 Herodotus and Galen, may appear as authorities in the same set. 

 There are many other names of measures noted by different writers, 

 some of which are but synonyrnes of some of those above mentioned, 

 and of others it may be doubted whether they were really names of 

 recognised measures. If the writers of our day were compared in 

 isolated passages as closely as those of the ancients, we might probably 

 have a great many measures made for us of which we know nothing : 

 the shells which the grocers use would have good chance of a per- 

 manent establishment, and their paper bags could not possibly escape. 

 The Hebrew measures, though tolerably well settled in their pro- 

 portions, are very imperfectly known as to their absolute magnitudes. 



* The term quadratus seems to have applied to cubes as well as squares 

 among the Romans. 



( This word is translated in two of the gospels (Mark xiv. 3 ; Luke vii. 37) 

 an alabaster box ; Epiphanius is the authority for the measure, which there is 

 no doubt took its rise from the circumstance of perfumes being commonly 

 inclosed in alabaster boxes of one size. 



