Khous

The two oldest Greek measures definitely marked as standards date from 550 b.c. and were found in excavations at the Acropolis at Athens. One is a cylindrical corn measure, a khous, which was equal to half the Babylonian log. The other is a water clock marked 2 khous that has a capacity of 393 cubic inches.

The amounts of the contributions which each member of a mess had to make each month are said by Plutarch to have been 1 medimnos of barley-meal, 8 khoes of wine, 5 mnai of cheese, 2½ mnai of figs, and ‘a very small amount of money’ for buying additional items of food (Lyk. 12.3).

When I was in Athens, I could get a khous of Khian for two drakhmai, and one of those jars won’t hold above seven khoes.

Drinking khoes of wine was part of the celebration at the Anthesteria.