An amphora (/ˈæmfərə/; Ancient Greek: ἀμφορεύς) was the unit of measurement of volume in the Greco-Roman era. The term is derived from ancient Greek use of the

amphora An amphora (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

, a tall

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

jar-like shipping container with two opposed handles near the top. Amphora means "two handled". An amphora is equal to 48 sextarii, which is about 34 litres or 9 gallons in the

US customary units United States customary units form a system of measurement units commonly used in the United States and most U.S. territories since being standardized and adopted in 1832. The United States customary system developed from English units that ...

and 7.494 gallons in the imperial system of units. The Roman ''amphora quadrantal'' (≈25.9 litres), was one cubic-'' pes'', holding 80 ''libra'' of wine, and was used to measure liquids, bulk goods, the cargo capacity of ships, and the production of vineyards. Along with other standardized Roman measures and

currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...

, this gave an added advantage to

Roman commerce Roman commerce was a major sector of the Roman economy during the later generations of the Republic and throughout most of the imperial period. Fashions and trends in historiography and in popular culture have tended to neglect the economic basis ...

. The related ''amphora capitolina'' standard, was kept in the temple of Jupiter on the

Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Roman Forum, Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn (mythology), Saturn. The wo ...

in Rome. A typical Greek amphora, based on a cubic-''

pous The pous ( podes; , ''poús'') or Greek foot ( feet) was a Greek unit of length of approximately 300mm or 12 inches. It had various subdivisions whose lengths varied by place and over time. 100 podes made up one plethron, 600 podes made ...

'', was ≈38.3 litres, The Greek talent, an ancient unit of weight, was roughly the

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

of the amount of

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

that would fill an amphora. The French amphora, also called the minot de Paris, is muid or one cubic ''pied du roi'' and therefore ≈34.277 litres.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amphora (Volume) Units of volume Ancient Greek units of measurement Ancient Roman units of measurement

External links

Systems of Measurement