of equal weight to the Italian one which is called a “denarius,” for as a rule many now use the Italian weights. The Attic mina has 25 staters; the Italian litra is 24 staters; of the other minae there are myriad differences and it is not at all necessary for us to set them forth now. The litra makes 12 ounkia and the ounkia 8 drachmas; the drachma is 3 grammata; the gramma has 2 obols; again the gramma has 3 thermoi, the thermos 2 keratia, so that the litra is 1728 keratia. The denarius is also lavishly divided according to the Romans into 1152 parts; for it has two tropaika, four noummoi, 10 assaria; the noummos has an ounkia in weight. The assarion is divided into a half and a third and a fourth and a sixth and an eighth and a ninth, a tenth, a twelfth, a sixteenth, a twenty-fourth, a thirty-sixth, a forty-eighth, a seventy-second; these parts have their own names among the Roman accountants. The wine amphora, which many also call a “metrētēs,” has 2 hemiamphoria, which they call “kadoi” by a common name, but the Romans call “urnae,” and it has 4 prochoi, eight choes which they indeed call “congia” but we call “kaboi”; the chous holds 6 xestai (and the Egyptians call the xestēs an “hinion”), so that the amphora is 48 xestai. The Antiochene metrētēs is double the Italian. The xestēs, then, is divided into two kotylai, which we call “heminae,” the kotylē is divided into two oxybapha, the oxybaphon is portioned into three kyathoi and the kyathos makes 4 mystra which they indeed often called “listria,” and the kochliarion is half of the mystron; and the xestēs is thus resolved into 96 kochliaria. And the oil measures are similar, except that it has its beginning from the so-called “centenarium,” which indeed has 100 litrae. And the oil metrētēs is double this; the other measures agree; for the ratio that the litra has in weight to the mina, the measuring litra has the same to the kotylē or the hemixeston. The Attic medimnos is equivalent to 6 Italian modioi, and the modios is called a “hekteus.” The modios has two hemiekta, the hemiekton has 4 choinikes, and the choinix has two xestai, so that the modios is 16 xestai. And the other measures of dry goods are similar to the aforementioned liquid ones. The Ptolemaic medimnos is one and a half times the Attic and was composed of two artabai in the old days; for the artabē was 4 Italian modioi #161; but now, because of Roman usage, the artabē is reckoned as 3 modioi. The Phoenician koros is 30 satons; the saton is one and a half times the modios; of satons there are few differences. Three fingers grab 2 drachmas of dry mixtures. The chous is the six-xestes measure; the weight of wine it holds is 10 litrae, that of oil 9 litrae, and that of honey it carries is 15 litrae; and for every measurable substance there are many differences in weight. The ounkia of pepper has 400 grains; the litra has 5000 grains. But lest, in the discoveries of medicines, we find some symbolic notation and be completely mistaken, we will set out below the things signified by each of the items listed. The talent is to be noted by the letter xi with a line through the middle (#121), the mina by a mu with a nu above it (μ6ν6) (νʹ μ6ν6 fifty minas, and sometimes a rho with a line through the middle means the same thing #128), the litra by a lambda with an iota placed within or beside it (#117), the ounkia by a gamma with an omicron placed above or below it (#106); a slanted lambda with its arms to the right makes a drachma (#101), a half drachma and half of any kind is the same turned to the left (#1337); a mu with an epsilon above it signifies a measure (μ6ε6); the obol, the sixth of a drachma, is like a long sigma (#1002) or a slanted iota (#1000), two obols are two of the same opposite one another (#1001); the triobol has a Gamma with its arm pointing upwards (#1338)? and it is called by some a “chēramis.” But when with vows and prayers I had beseeched the tribes of the dead, I took the sheep and cut their throats into the trench; and the dark blood flowed; and the souls of the departed dead gathered from out of Erebus, brides and youths and much-suffering old men

ἰσοστάσιος τῇ Ἰταλικῇ ἣ καλεῖται «δηνάριον», ὡς γὰρ ἐπίπαν τοῖς Ἰταλικοῖς νῦν χρῶνται πολλοί. Ἡ Ἀττικὴ μνᾶ στατῆρας ἔχει κεʹ· ἡ δὲ Ἰταλικὴ λίτρα στατήρων ἐστὶ κδʹ· τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν μνῶν μυρίαι διαφοραὶ καὶ οὐδέν τι ἡμῖν ἀναγκαῖαι νῦν ἐκτεθῆναι. Ἡ δὲ λίτρα ποιεῖ ˉγˉο ιβʹ καὶ ἡ ˉγˉο δραχμὰς ηʹ· ἡ δὲ δραχμὴ γραμμάτων ἐστὶν γʹ· τὸ δὲ γράμμα ὀβολοὺς ἔχει βʹ· πάλιν τὸ γράμμα θέρμους γʹ, ὁ θέρμος κεράτια βʹ, ὡς εἶναι τὴν λίτραν κερατίων αψκηʹ. ∆ιαιρεῖται δὲ ἐκ περιουσίας καὶ τὸ δηνάριον κατὰ Ῥωμαίους εἰς μέρη αρνβʹ· ἔχει γὰρ τροπαϊκὰ δύο, νούμους τέσσαρας, ἀσσάρια ιʹ· ὁ δὲ νοῦμος ἔχει ὀγκίαν τῷ σταθμῷ. Τὸ ἀσσάριον διαιρεῖται εἰς ἥμυσυ καὶ τρίτον καὶ τέταρτον καὶ ἕκτον καὶ ὄγδοον καὶ ἔνατον, δέκατον, δωδέκατον, ἑξκαιδέκατον, εἰκοστοτέταρτον, τριακοστόεκτον, τεσσαρακοστοόγδοον, ἑβδομηκοστοδεύτερον· τὰ δὲ μέρη ταῦτα ἰδίας ὀνομασίας ἔχει παρὰ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις λογιστικοῖς. Ὁ τοῦ οἴνου ἀμφορεὺς ὃν καὶ «μετρητὴν» λέγουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ ἡμιαμφόρια μὲν ἔχει βʹ ἃ καλοῦσιν «κάδους» ὀνόματι κοινῷ Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ «οὔρνας», προύχους δὲ ἔχει δʹ, χόας ὀκτὼ οὓς δὴ «κογγία» λέγουσιν «κάβους» δὲ ἡμεῖς· ὁ δὲ χοῦς δύναται ξέστας ʹ (τὸν δὲ ξέστην «ἵνιον» καλοῦσιν Αἰγύπτιοι), ὡς τὸν ἀμφορέα εἶναι ξεστῶν μηʹ. Ὁ δὲ Ἀντιοχικὸς μετρητὴς τοῦ Ἰταλικοῦ διπλάσιον. Ὁ οὖν ξέστης διαιρεῖται κοτύλαις δυσὶν ἃς «ἡμίνας» καλοῦμεν, ἡ κοτύλη διαιρεῖται εἰς ὀξύβαφα δύο, τὸ δὲ ὀξύβαφον εἰς κυάθους μερίζεται τρεῖς καὶ ὁ κύαθος δὲ ποιεῖ μύστρα δʹ ἃ δὴ «λίστρια» πολλάκις ἐκάλεσαν, κοχλιάριον δέ ἐστιν τοῦ μύστρου τὸ ἥμυσυ· καὶ ὁ ξέστης ἄρα εἰς κοχλιάρια ἀναλύεται ʹ. Καὶ τὰ ἐλαιηρὰ παραπλησίως, πλὴν ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦ καλουμένου «κεντηναρίου» τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχει ὃ δὴ λίτρας ἔχει ρʹ. Ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐλαιηρὸς μετρητὴς τοῦδε διπλάσιον· τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ μέτρα συνᾴδει· ὃν γὰρ λόγον ἔχει ἡ λίτρα τὸν σταθμὸν πρὸς τὴν μνᾶν, τὸν αὐτὸν ἡ μετρητὴ λίτρα πρὸς τὴν κοτύλην ἢ τὸ ἡμίξεστον. Ὁ Ἀττικὸς δὲ μέδιμνος Ἰταλικοὺς δύναται μοδίους ʹ, καλεῖται δὲ ὁ μόδιος «ἑκτεύς». Ὁ μόδιος ἔχει ἡμίεκτα δύο, τὸ ἡμίεκτον ἔχει χοίνικας δʹ, ἡ χοῖνιξ δὲ ἔχει δύο ξέστας, ὡς τὸν μόδιον εἶναι ξεστῶν ιʹ. Καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δὲ μέτρα τῶν ξηρῶν ὁμοίως τοῖς προειρημένοις ὑγροῖς. Ὁ Πτολεμαϊκὸς δὲ μέδιμνος ἡμιόλιός ἐστιν τοῦ Ἀττικοῦ καὶ συνέστηκεν ἐξ ἀρταβῶν τὸ μὲν παλαιὸν δύο· ἦν γὰρ ἡ ἀρτάβη μοδίων Ἰταλικῶν δʹ #161· νῦν δὲ, διὰ τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν χρῆσιν, ἡ ἀρτάβη χρηματίζει μόδια γʹ. Ὁ κόρος ὁ Φοινίκιος σάτων ἐστὶν λʹ· τὸ σάτον ἐστὶν ἡμιόλιον τοῦ μοδίου· τῶν σάτων ὀλίγαι διαφοραί. ∆άκτυλοι τρεῖς ἁρπάζουσιν τῶν ξηρῶν μιγμάτων δραχμὰς βʹ. Ὁ χοῦς ἐστιν τὸ ἑξάξεστον μέτρον· ὁ μὲν τοῦ οἴνου σταθμὸς ἕλκει ˉλˉι ιʹ, ὁ δὲ τοῦ ἐλαίου λίτρας θʹ, ὁ δὲ τοῦ μέλιτος ἄγει ˉλˉι ιεʹ· εἰσὶν δὲ πάσης ὕλης μετρητῆς κατὰ τὸν σταθμὸν πολλαὶ διαφοραί. Ἡ ὀγκία τοῦ πεπέρεως κόκκους ἔχει υʹ· ἡ λίτρα ἔχει κόκκους ε. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ ἐν ταῖς τῶν φαρμάκων εὑρέσεσιν συμβολικήν τινα σημείωσιν εὑρόντες εἰς τὸ πᾶν σφαλλώμεθα, τὰ δηλούμενα δι' ἑκάστου τῶν κατειλεγμένων ὑποτάξομεν. Τὸ μὲν τάλαντον σημειωτέον τῷ στοιχείῳ τῷ ξ διὰ μέσου γραμ μὴν ἔχοντι (#121), τὴν δὲ μνᾶν τῷ μ ἐπικείμενον ἔχοντι τὸ ν (μ6ν6) (τὸ νʹ μ6ν6 πεντήκοντα μνᾶς, ἐνίοτε δὲ ρ διὰ μέσου γραμμὴν ἔχον τὸ αὐτὸ σημαίνει #128), τὴν δὲ λίτραν τῷ λάμβδα ἐγκείμενον ἔχοντι ἢ παρακείμενον τὸ ἰῶτα (#117), τὴν ὀγκίαν δὲ τῷ γάμμα ἐπικείμενον ἢ ὑποκείμενον ἔχοντι τὸ ο (#106)· πλάγιον δὲ λάμβδα ἐπὶ τὰ δεξιὰ τὰς κεραίας ἔχον δραχμὴν ποιεῖ (#101), ἥμυσυ δὲ δραχμῆς καὶ παντὸς εἴδους τὸ αὐτὸ ἑπὶ τὰ εὐώνυμα ἐστραμμένον (#1337)· τὸ δὲ μ ἐπικείμενον ἔχον τὸ ε σημαίνει μέτρον (μ6ε6)· ὁ δὲ ὀβολὸς, τὸ ἕκτον τῆς δραχμῆς, οἷον σίγμα ἐπίμηκες (#1002) ἢ δὲ ἰῶτα πλάγιον (#1000), δύο δὲ ὀβολοὶ δύο τὰ αὐτὰ ἀντικείμενα (#1001)· τὸ δὲ τριώβολον ἄνω τὴν κεραίαν ἀνανεῦον τὸ Γ ἔχει (#1338); καλεῖταιδὲ ὑπ' ἐνίων «χηραμίς». Τοὺς δ' ἐπεὶ εὐχωλῇςι λιτῇσί τε, ἔθνεα νεκρῶν, ἐλλισάμην, τὰ δὲ μῆλα λαβὼν ἀπεδειροτόμησα ἐς βόθρον· ῥέε δ' αἷμα κελαινεφές· αἱ δ' ἀγέροντο ψυχαὶ ὑπὲξ Ἐρέβευς νεκύων κατατεθνηώτων νύμφαι τ' ἠίθεοί τε πολύτλητοί τε γέροντες