The Aes or As, the bronze or copper pound of the Roman republic in its
earlier times, was divided into 12 ounces, each = 420·75 grains.
It remained the mint-pound of both Republic and Empire.
The Aurei of Julius Caesar, 1/40 As, weigh 127 grains, those of Augustus
125 grains. The mean weight appears to be about 126 grains, which gives
5040 grains for the As.
The Aurei of the later Empire were struck at 1/72 As, and weigh 70
grains, giving the same weight, 5040 grains, for the As. At 70·1 grains
they would give 5049 grains, the calculated weight of the As.
The evolution of the As from the Greek-Asiatic talent leads to
consideration of the measures connected with it, and with the
Alexandrian talent.
It has been seen that the Roman foot, 1/5000 of the Roman mile, 8
Olympic stadia, was 11·67 inches. This foot being cubed, the weight of
the cubic foot of water was made the basis of the Roman measures of
capacity—
11·67^3 inches = 1589 c.i. = 57·32 lb. water
= 401,240 grains.
This calculated measure, 57·32 lb. = 5·732 gallons = 45·8 pints, was the
Amphora Quadrantal, supposed to weigh, of wine, 80 As or primitive
pounds. _Quadrantal vinei octoginta pondo sit._ The correspondence was
only approximate. The Quadrantal should have been = 57·7 lb. for its
1/80 part (= 5049 grains) to correspond with the As. Its capacity was
probably adjusted so as to make it half a Medimnos and = 3 Modii.
There are specimens extant of the Quadrantal, of cubical shape, showing
that it was named from its being a cubic foot in measure.
The Quadrantal, being equal to 45·8 pints, was almost exactly half the
Greek Medimnos, equal to 91·5 pints; so that, divided into 8 congii,
each of 6 sextarii, the Sextarius, 1/48 Quadrantal, was practically the
same as the Xestes, 1/96 of the Medimnos.
And the Quadrantal being also very nearly two-thirds of the Greek
Metretes, equal to 70·4 pints, the Sextarius was also nearly the same as
the other Xestes, 1/72 of the Metretes.
So the Sextarius was 1/48 Quadrantal, 1/72 Metretes, and 1/96 Medimnos.
The relation of the Roman Modius to the Alexandrian-Greek medimnos
appears to be only a coincidence, as the former is one-third of a Roman
cubic foot, and the latter an Alexandrian cubic foot increased in
water-wheat ratio.
_The New Roman Pound_
Trade with Egypt led the Romans, not only to use the Alexandrian
medimnos, but also to put aside the As for commercial purposes and adopt
a standard taken from the Alexandrian talent. Its 1500 double-shekels
made 125 libræ each of 12 unciæ = 437 grains. The libra was thus = 5244
grains as compared with the As = 5049 grains.
A further uncial division of the libra made the Uncia either of 6
sextulæ, 24 scrupuli, 48 oboli, 144 siliquæ, or of 12 semi-sextulæ, 144
siliquæ.
The siliqua was a little less than the Eastern qirát, being 3·03 grains
instead of the 3·1616 grain carat of the Ptolemaïc series of weights.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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