Ancient Greek units of measurement varied according to location and epoch. Systems of ancient weights and measures evolved as needs changed; Solon and other lawgivers also reformed them en bloc. Some units of measurement were found to be convenient for trade within the Mediterranean region and these units became increasingly common to different city states. The calibration and use of measuring devices became more sophisticated. By about 500 BC, Athens had a central depository of official weights and measures, the Tholos, where merchants were required to test their measuring devices against official standards.
Some Greek measures of length were named after parts of the body, such as the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δάκτυλος (daktylos, plural: Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δάκτυλοι daktyloi) or finger (having the size of a thumb), and the Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πούς (pous, plural: Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πόδες podes) or foot (having the size of a shoe). The values of the units varied according to location and epoch (e.g., in Aegina a pous was approximately 333mm, whereas in Athens (Attica) it was about 296mm), but the relative proportions were generally the same.
| Unit | Greek name | Equal to | Modern equivalent | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| daktylos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δάκτυλος | 19.3mm | finger | ||
| kondylos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κόνδυλος | 2 daktyloi | 38.5mm | knuckle | |
| palaistē or dōron | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: παλαιστή, Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δῶρον | 4 daktyloi | 77.1mm | palm | |
| dichas or hēmipodion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: διχάς, Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἡμιπόδιον | 8 daktyloi | 154.1mm | half foot | |
| lichas | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: λιχάς | 10 daktyloi | 192.6mm | distance from thumb-tip to tip of outstretched index finger[1] | |
| orthodōron | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ὀρθόδωρον | 11 daktyloi | 211.9mm | straight hand's width | |
| spithamē | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: σπιθαμή | 12 daktyloi | 231.2mm | span of all fingers | |
| pous | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πούς | 16 daktyloi | 308.2mm | foot | |
| pygmē | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πυγμή | 18 daktyloi | 346.8mm | forearm | |
| pygōn | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πυγών | 20 daktyloi | 385.3mm | distance from elbow to fist | |
| pēchys | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πῆχυς | 24 daktyloi | 462.3mm | cubit | |
| daktylos | 1 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kondylos | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||
| doron | 4 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
| dichas | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||||||||
| lichas | 10 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||||
| orthodoron | 11 | 1 | |||||||||||
| spithame | 12 | 6 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||
| pous | 16 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| pygme | 18 | 9 | 1 | ||||||||||
| pygon | 20 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| pechus | 24 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
| royal pechus | 27 | 1 | |||||||||||
| meters | 0.01926 | 0.03853 | 0.07706 | 0.15411 | 0.19264 | 0.21191 | 0.23117 | 0.30823 | 0.34676 | 0.38529 | 0.46234 | 0.52014 |
| Unit | Greek name | Equal to | Modern equivalent | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pous | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πούς | 0.308m (01.01feet) | foot | ||
| haploun bēma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἁπλοῦν βῆμα | podes | 0.77m (02.53feet) | step | |
| bēma, diploun bēma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: βῆμα, διπλοῦν βῆμα | 5 podes | 1.54m (05.05feet) | pace | |
| orgyia | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ὄργυια | 6 podes | 1.85m (06.07feet) | fathom | |
| kalamos, akaina or dekapous | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κάλαμος, ἄκαινα, δεκάπους | 10 podes | 3.08m (10.1feet) | 10 feet | |
| hamma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἅμμα | 60 podes | 18.5m (60.7feet) | knot, link of a chain | |
| plethron | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πλέθρον | 100 podes | 30.8m (101feet) | 100 feet | |
| stadion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: στάδιον | 600 podes | 184.9m (606.6feet) | an eighth of a Roman mile | |
| diaulos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δίαυλος | 2 stadia | 369.9m (1,213.6feet) | double pipe | |
| hippikon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἱππικόν | 4 stadia | 739.7m (2,426.8feet) | length of a hippodrome[2] | |
| milion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μίλιον | 8 stadia | 1.479km (00.919miles) | Roman mile | |
| dolichos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δόλιχος | 12 stadia | 2.219km (01.379miles) | long race | |
| parasanges, or league[3] | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: παρασάγγης | 30 stadia | 5.548km (03.447miles) | adopted from Persia | |
| schoinos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: σχοινός | 40 stadia | 7.397km (04.596miles) | adopted from Egypt | |
| stage | 160 stadia | 29.8km (18.5miles) | |||
| pous | 1 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bema haplun | 1 | ||||||||
| bema diplun | 5 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| orguia | 6 | 1 | |||||||
| akaina | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| hamma | 60 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 1 | |||
| plethron | 100 | 40 | 20 | 10 | 1 | ||||
| stadion | 600 | 240 | 120 | 100 | 60 | 10 | 6 | 1 | |
| meters | 0.30823 | 0.77057 | 1.54115 | 1.8494 | 3.0823 | 18.4938 | 30.823 | 184.94 |
The ordinary units used for land measurement were:
| Unit | Greek name | Equal to | Modern equivalent | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pous | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πούς | 0.095m2 | square foot | |
| hexapodēs | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἑξαπόδης | 36 podes | 3.42m2 | square six-foot |
| akaina | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἄκαινα | 100 podes | 9.5m2 | rod |
| hēmiektos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἡμίεκτος | podes | 79.2m2 | half a sixth |
| hektos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἕκτος | podes | 158.3m2 | a sixth of a plethron |
| aroura | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἄρουρα | 2,500 podes | 237.5m2 | field |
| plethron | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: πλέθρον | 10,000 podes | 950m2 | |
| Except where noted, based on Smith (1851). Metric equivalents are approximate. |
| < | -- --> Neck amphora depicting an athlete running the hoplitodromos by the Berlin Painter,, Louvre. |
|---|
The Attic liquid measures were:
| kochliarion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κοχλιάριον | 4.5mL | spoon | |
| chēmē | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: χήμη | 2 kochliaria | 9.1mL | a measure[4] |
| mystron | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μύστρον | kochliaria | 11.4mL | Roman ligula |
| konchē | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κόγχη | 5 kochliaria | 22.7mL | shell-full |
| kyathos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κύαθος | 10 kochliaria | 45.5mL | Roman cyathus |
| oxybaphon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ὀξυβαφον | kyathoi | 68.2mL | Roman acetabulum |
| tetarton, hēmikotylē | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τέταρτον, ἡμικοτύλη | 3 kyathoi | 136.4mL | Roman quartarius |
| kotylē, tryblion or hēmina | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κοτύλη, τρύβλιον, ἡμίνα | 6 kyathoi | 272.8mL | Roman cotyla or hemina |
| xestēs | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ξέστης | 12 kyathoi | 545.53NaN3 | Roman sextarius |
| chous | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: χοῦς | 72 kyathoi | 3.27L | Roman congius |
| keramion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κεράμιον | 8 choes | 26.2L | Roman amphora quadrantal |
| metrētēs | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μετρητής | 12 choes | 39.3L | amphora |
| Except where noted, based on Smith (1851). Metric equivalents are approximate. |
| kochliarion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κοχλιάριον | 4.5mL | ||
| kyathos | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κύαθος | 10 kochliaria | 45.5mL | Roman cyathus |
| oxybaphon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ὀξυβαφον | kyathoi | 68.2mL | Roman acetabulum |
| kotylē or hēmina | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: κοτύλη, ἡμίνα | 6 kyathoi | 272.8mL | Roman cotyla or hemina |
| xestēs | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ξέστης | 12 kyathoi | 545.53NaN3 | Roman sextarius |
| choinix | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: χοῖνιξ | 24 kyathoi | 1.09L | |
| hēmiekton | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἡμίεκτον | 4 choinikes | 4.36L | Roman semimodius |
| hekteus | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ἑκτεύς | 8 choinikes | 8.73L | Roman modius |
| medimnos | μέδιμνος | 48 choinikes | 52.4L | |
| Except where noted, based on Smith (1851). Metric equivalents are approximate. |
The basic unit of Athenian currency was the obol, weighing approximately 0.72 grams of silver:[5] [6]
| Unit | Greek name | Equivalent | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| obol or obolus | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ὀβολός | drachma, 4 tetartemorions | 0.72g | |
| drachma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δραχμή | 6 obols | 4.3g | |
| mina | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μνᾶ | 100 drachmae | ||
| talent | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τάλαντον | 60 minae |
Mass is often associated with currency since units of currency involve prescribed amounts of a given metal. Thus for example the English pound has been both a unit of mass and a currency. Greek masses similarly bear a nominal resemblance to Greek currency yet the origin of the Greek standards of weights is often disputed. There were two dominant standards of weight in the eastern Mediterranean: a standard that originated in Euboea and that was subsequently introduced to Attica by Solon, and also a standard that originated in Aegina. The Attic/Euboean standard was supposedly based on the barley corn, of which there were supposedly twelve to one obol. However, weights that have been retrieved by historians and archeologists show considerable variations from theoretical standards. A table of standards derived from theory is as follows:
| Unit | Greek name | Equivalent | Metric Equivalent | Aeginetic standard | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| obol or obolus | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ὀβολός | 0.72g | 1.05g | ||
| drachma | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: δραχμή | 6 obols | 4.31g | 6.3g | |
| mina | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μνᾶ | 100 drachmae | 431g | 630g | |
| talent | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: τάλαντον | 60 minae | 25.86kg (57.01lb) | 37.8kg (83.3lb) |
Athenians measured the day by sundials and unit fractions. Periods during night or day were measured by a water clock (clepsydra) that dripped at a steady rate and other methods. Whereas the day in the Gregorian calendar commences after midnight, the Greek day began after sunset. Athenians named each year after the Archon Eponymous for that year, and in Hellenistic times years were reckoned in quadrennial epochs according to the Olympiad.
In archaic and early classical Greece, months followed the cycle of the Moon which made them not fit exactly into the length of the solar year. Thus, if not corrected, the same month would migrate slowly into different seasons of the year. The Athenian year was divided into 12 months, with one additional month (Poseidon deuterons, thirty days) being inserted between the sixth and seventh months every second year. Even with this intercalary month, the Athenian or Attic calendar was still fairly inaccurate and days had occasionally to be added by the Archon Basileus. The start of the year was at the summer solstice (previously it had been at the winter solstice) and months were named after Athenian religious festivals, 27 mentioned in the Hibah Papyrus, circa 275 BC.
| Month | Greek name | Gregorian equivalent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hecatombaeon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ἑκατομβαιών | June–July | |
| Metageitnion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Μεταγειτνιών | July–August | |
| Boedromion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Βοηδρομιών | August–September | |
| Pyanepsion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Πυανεψιών | September–October | |
| Maemacterion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Μαιμακτηριών | October–November | |
| Poseideon | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ποσειδεών | November–December | |
| Gamelion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Γαμηλιών | December–January | |
| Anthesterion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ἀνθεστηριών | January–February | |
| Elaphebolion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ἐλαφηβολιών | February–March | |
| Munychion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Μουνυχιών | March–April | |
| Thargelion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Θαργηλιών | April–May | |
| Scirophorion | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Σκιροφοριών | May–June |