The early weights and measures of mankind / by General Sir Charles Warren.

  • Charles Warren
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The early weights and measures of mankind / by General Sir Charles Warren. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    90/164 (page 66)
    Note.—In Robertson’s “ Historical Essays/’ a drachma of 50'625 O.G.T., instead of 54 O.G.T. is used, making all results less by TV Measures of Capacity. The Silian Plebicitum Decree preserved by Festus, circa 160 b.c., gives the proportions of the later measures of capacity, one to another, as is shown in annexed Table XX. The amphora (cubic foot) contained 80 pounds of wine, giving the Occidental pound of 4,860 O.G.T. There is still a congius of Vespasian which gives a limit for the pound of 5,116 O.G.T. TABLE XX. 200 B.c. 160 b.c. Euboic. [100 96] C.I. O.G.T. P 3] C.I. O.G.T. 21-60 5,400 Tower Roman _ 20-736 5,184 Amphora 15-55 3,S5S pound pound pound 27-0 6,750 Hon Attic rnina — 25-92 6,4S0 Occidental pound... 19-44 4,860 Sextarius 1 32-4 8,100 Sextarius 24-3 6,075 Congius ... 6 194-4 4S.600 Congius... 145-S 36,450 145,S00 Urna 24 777-6 194,400 Urna 583-2 Amphora 48 1555-2 388,800 Amphora 1166-4 291,600 2160-0 540,000 Bushel — 109 SO 64 2073-6 51S,400 — 1555-2 3SS,SOO Metretes... 72 2332-S 5S3.200 Metretes 1749-6 — Medimuus 96 3110-4 777,600 Medimnus 2332-8 583,200 Culeus ... 960 31104-0 — Culeus ... 23328-0 The Roman Weight Pound (of the Empire). The weight of the Late Roman pound is firmly established as 5,184 O.G.T., or 5,285 G.T. It still retained its weight of 5,235 G.T. at Rome, and 5,240 G.T. at Leghorn in 1829 (Kelly’s “ Cambist ”). The weight of the grain was then Troy wheat (A Troy barley grain), thus giving 6,912 Troy wheat to the pound. The pound was divided into 12 ounces, possibly derived from the Western Babylonian through the Etruscans. The Roman 12 ounce pound belongs to the Sextarial system, but the 16 ounce pound is the old Hon : the earliest pound is 24 shekels, or 12 revised ounces of 432 O.G.T. (or 512 Ancient wheat, or half rati); so that the Romans, or their predecessors, evidently commenced with binary measures. Regarding the ounce, the Romans followed the Greeks in