An amphora (/ˈæmfərə/; Ancient Greek: ἀμφορεύς was the unit of measurement of volume in the
Greco-Roman era. The term ''amphora'' comes from ancient Greece where people used a tall jar looking container with two opposed handles near the top mostly made of ceramic. Amphora literally means "two handled".
An amphora is equal to 48
sextarii
The ancient Roman units of measurement were primarily founded on the Hellenic system, which in turn was influenced by the Egyptian system and the Mesopotamian system. The Roman units were comparatively consistent and well documented.
Length
T ...
, which is about 34 litres or 9 gallons in the
US customary units and 7.494 gallons in the
imperial system of units.
The Roman
''amphora quadrantal'' (~25.9 litres), was one cubic-''
pes
Pes (Latin for "foot") or the acronym PES may refer to:
Pes
* Pes (unit), a Roman unit of length measurement roughly corresponding with a foot
* Pes or podatus, a
* Pes (rural locality), several rural localities in Russia
* Pes (river), a river ...
'', 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) gave an added advantage to
Roman commerce. The related ''amphora capitolina'' standard, was kept in the temple of Jupiter on the
Capitoline Hill in Rome.
A typical Greek amphora, based on a cubic-''
pous'', was ~38.3 litres,
The Greek
talent
Talent has two principal meanings:
* Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value
* Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents
Talent ma ...
, an ancient unit of weight was roughly the
mass of the amount of
water that would fill an amphora.
The
French amphora, also called the
minot de Paris, is 1/8
muid or one cubic ''pied du roi'' and therefore ~34 litres.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amphora (Volume)
Units of volume
Ancient Greek units of measurement
Ancient Roman units of measurement