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Cotyla

p367 Article by Philip Smith, B.A., of the University of London
on p367 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.

CO′TYLA (κοτύλη) was a measure of capacity among the Romans and Greeks: by the former it was also called hemina; by the latter, τρυβλίον and ἡμίνα or ἡμίμνα. It was the half of the sextarius or ξέστης, and contained 6 cyathi, or nearly half a pint English.

This measure was used by physicians with a graduated scale marked on it, like our own chemical measures, for measuring out given weights of fluids, especially oil. A vessel of horn, of a cubic or cylindrical shape, of the capacity of a cotyla, was divided into twelve equal parts by lines cut on its side. The whole vessel was called litra, and each of the parts an ounce (uncia). This measure held nine ounces (by weight) of oil, so that the ratio of the weight of the oil to the number of ounces it occupied in the measure would be 9:12 or 3:4 (Galenus, De Compos. Medicam. per Genera, III.3, I.16, 17, IV.14, V.3, 6, VI.6, 8; Wurm, De Pond. Mens. &c.; Hussey, On Ancient Weights, &c.).

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Cotyla

p367 Article by Philip Smith, B.A., of the University of London on p367 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.

p367 Article by Philip Smith, B.A., of the University of London
on p367 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.