METRE´TES
METRE´TES (
μετρητής),
or AMPHORA METRETES (
ἀφμορευς μετρητής,
the standard amphora; it appears also as
ἀμφορεύς, the shorter form of the old Homeric
ἀμφιφορεύς, and as
κάδος [
Hdt. 1.51,
3.20]), was the principal Greek liquid
measure. It contained 12
choes, 72
xestae (
sextarii), 144
cotylae, 576
ὀξύβαφα, and 864
cyathi. It was
3-4ths of the
medimnus, the chief dry measure.
The Attic metretes was half as large again as the Roman
amphora quadrantal, and contained 39.39
litres=69.33 pints, or slightly over 8 1/2 gallons=a water-weight
of 1 1/2 talents. (See Tables.) The Aeginetan metretes contained 54.56
lit. or a little over 12 gallons, about the same
content as the Persian
artabe (
Hdt. 1.192).
The Macedonian metretes is estimated by Hultsch (p. 563) as equal to the
Attic. (Hultsch,
Metrologie;
MENSURA; PONDERA.）
[
P.S] [
G.E.M]
