On weights and measures
From the Cesti of Africanus: on weights and measures. Since I have mentioned weights and measures in many places, and exact proportion of them is needed, so that some, erring in the quantity, may not slander the remedies compounded from these, I judged it necessary to make clear which ones and of what sort one must use, and to set out their differences toward one another.
Now the Attic and the Italian are in use among many, and among some the Syrian and the Egyptian, which are also called "Ptolemaic". These then must be compared with one another. As a rule every talent has 60 minae of its own. Every mina (that is, of the systems just named) has 25 staters; and the stater has 4 drachmas, which are holkai. Therefore every talent has 60 minae, 1500 staters, and <...> drachmas. The drachma has <...> obols; and the obol has 8 chalkoi. Therefore the drachma has 48 chalkoi.
But the Attic talent is equal in weight to the Ptolemaic and the Antiochene, and equal in number throughout; yet in power it is fourfold the Ptolemaic according to the coin, four-thirds the Syrian and Antiochene, and equal to the Tyrian. The other units will be taken along according to the difference stated about the talent: for mina will differ from mina, stater from stater, and drachma from drachma in the same way as the difference about the talent.
I also know another wood-talent in Antioch, which has 60 minae of its own, but almost six times the coin-weight; and the wood-talent in Alexandria differs by a fifth, exceeding the local one already mentioned. The talent in Homer was equal in power to the later daric, as is clear from the contest-prizes set for Patroclus. For he set as prize for the first a woman and a huge cauldron; for the second a pregnant mare; and for the third a cauldron of 4 measures; and for the fourth he set two gold talents; <which> could not, if they were more valuable than the first prizes, be able † but to set a thing superior to the fifth as a lower approach-prize † which was the "two-handled cup" <...>. The gold-piece — the Homeric talent here — weighs 2 Attic drachmas, <...> grammata, namely four tetartai.
Nor does it escape me that there are still more differences among drachmas: the Delian and the Aeginetan, and the Rhodian and <...>, are five times the Ptolemaic, and the one called "island" is six times.
Greek
4.1 Ἐκ τῶν Ἀφρικανοῦ <Κεστῶν>· περὶ σταθμῶν καὶ μέτρων Ἐπειδὴ πολλαχοῦ σταθμῶν τε καὶ μέτρων ἐπεμνήσθην δεῖ δὲ τῆς τούτων συμμετρίας ἀκριβοῦς, ὡς ἂν μή τινες τῇ ποσότητι σφαλλόμενοι διαβάλλοιεν τὰ ἐκ τῶνδε συνιστάμενα βοηθήματα, ἀναγκαίως ἔκρινα δηλῶσαι τίσι καὶ ποταποῖς χρήσασθαι δεῖ καὶ τὰς πρὸς ἄλληλα αὐτῶν διαφορὰς ἐκθέσθαι. Ἔστιν μὲν οὖν ἐν χρήσει πολλοῖς τά τε Ἀττικὰ καὶ τὰ Ἰταλικά, τισὶ δὲ Σύρια τε καὶ Αἰγύπτια τὰ καὶ «Πτολεμαϊκὰ» καλούμενα. Ταῦτα δὴ συγκριτέον ἀλλήλοις. Πᾶν τάλαντον ὡς ἐπίπαν ἰδίας ἔχει μνᾶς ξʹ. πᾶσα δὲ μνᾶ (δηλαδὴ τῶν προειρημένων) στατῆρας ἔχει κεʹ; ὁ δὲ στατὴρ δραχμὰς αἵ εἰσιν ὁλκαὶ δʹ· ἔχει οὖν πᾶν τάλαντον μνᾶς ξʹ, στατῆρας αφʹ, δραχμὰς δὲ . Ἡ δραχμὴ ὀβολοὺς ἔχει ʹ ὁ δὲ ὀβολὸς χαλκοὺς ηʹ. καὶ ἡ δραχμὴ ἄρα ἔχει χαλκοὺς μηʹ. Ἀλλὰ τὸ Ἀττικὸν τάλαντον ἰσοστάσιον μέν ἐστιν τῷ Πτολεμαϊκῷ καὶ Ἀντιοχικῷ καὶ ἰσάριθμον ἐν πᾶσιν, δυνάμει δὲ τοῦ μὲν Πτολεμαϊκοῦ κατὰ τὸ νόμισμα τετραπλοῦν, ἐπίτριτον δὲ τοῦ Συρίου καὶ Ἀντιοχικοῦ, τῷ δὲ Τυρίῳ ἴσον. Ἀκολούθως δὲ τῇ περὶ τὸ τάλαντον εἰρημένῃ διαφορᾷ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα παραληφθήσεται· μνᾶ τε γὰρ μνᾶς καὶ στατὴρ στατῆρος καὶ δραχμὴ δραχμῆς ταὐτὸν διοίσει ὡς ἡ περὶ τοῦ ταλάντου διαφορά. Οἶδα δὲ καὶ ξυλικὸν τάλαντον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ἕτερον ὃ μνᾶς μὲν ἰδίας ἔχει ξʹ, ἑξαπλασίας δὲ σχεδὸν τῷ τοῦ νομίσματος σταθμῷ· τὸ δὲ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ξυλικὸν τῷ πέμπτῳ διαφέρει πρὸς τὸ προειρημένον ἐπιχώριον περιττεῦον. Τὸ δὲ παρ' Ὁμήρῳ τάλαντον ἴσον ἐδύνατο τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα δαρεικῷ, ὡς δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ἐναγωνίων ἐπὶ Πατρόκλῳ θεμάτων. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ πρώτῳ γυναῖκα καὶ λέβητα πάμμεγαν δευτέρῳ δὲ ἵππον ἐγκύμονα ἔπαθλον ἔθηκε καὶ τῷ τρίτῳ μέτρων δʹ λέβητα· τῷ δὲ τετάρτῳ ἔθηκε δύο χρυσεοτάλαντα· <ἃ> οὐκ ἂν εἰ τιμιώτερα τῶν πρώτων δύναιτο † δὲ τοῦ πέμπτου προῦχον προσβάσεως ὑποκάτιον θεῖναι † ὅπερ ἦν ἡ «ἀμφίθετος φιάλη» <...>. Ὁ δὲ χρυσοῦς, τὸ ὁμηρικὸν ἐνταῦθα τάλαντον, Ἀττικὰς ἄγει δραχμὰς βʹ, γράμματα ʹ, τετάρτας δηλαδὴ τέτταρας. Οὐ λανθάνει δέ με καὶ τὸ τῶν δραχμῶν πλείους εἶναι διαφοράς· τήν τε γὰρ ∆ηλίαν καὶ Αἰγιναίαν, Ῥοδίαν τε καὶ <...> τῆς Πτολεμαϊκῆς εἶναι πενταπλασίαν ἑξαπλασίαν δὲ τὴν «νησιωτικὴν» οὕτω προσαγορευομένην.
About this text
Julius Africanus, Cesti (Embroidered Girdles): a miscellany of history, science, and craft, in the surviving fragments — books 7, 2, and 3 in full, with parts of books 4, 8, 9, and 13, and the colophon of Cestus 18. The older English translates his letters only. The book-2 table of contents and a book-7 appendix are not in this volume.
New English from locked PG 10 / Khazarzar Greek of the Cesti fragmenta through 9.5. Earlier lemma-led scaffold English was discarded. Book-2 pinax and book-7 appendix held. This lock is exhausted.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 10 Cesti fragmenta (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.