Home › Ancient
Athenian grain measures, from the cup to the medimnos. Part of the Ancient Measures collection.
Every unit converts through liters: kotyle = 0.27 L, choinix = 4 kotylai, medimnos = 48 choinikes. Worked example: Herodotus reckoned Xerxes’ invasion force needed 110,340 medimnoi of grain per day (7.187) = 110,340 × 51.84 ≈ 5.72 million liters — his arithmetic, not ours. Actual surviving measures vary ±5%; the table uses the Attic scholarly standard.
48 choinikes, about 51.8 L (1.47 bushels). Athens measured its harvests, taxes and Solon’s wealth classes in medimnoi of grain.
About 1.08 L — the daily grain ration of a man, soldier or slave. Herodotus used it to estimate the logistics of Xerxes’ army.
Roughly: the kotyle served both, but the big units diverged — the metretes (39 L) for wine and oil against the medimnos (52 L) for grain.
Greek Length Greek Weight Roman Volume Persian Volume Jewish Volume