2. The Mediterranean System
The Moslem conquest of the greater part of the Mediterranean countries, with the influence of Arab trade and of Moorish civilisation, displaced the Roman system of weights and measures, already modified by the influence of Ptolemaïc Egypt, and caused changes even in the weights and measures of Italy. Not only the North of Africa, but Spain, Provence (and the other Occitanian lands), the dominions of the three republics of Venice, Genoa and Arles, with the countries forming the Turkish Empire, all these took more or less the Arab system of weights and measures, and this system penetrated deep into Western Europe.
The principal Arab measures which form the basis of the Mediterranean measures of capacity were:
1. The cubed Persian cubit = 8 Persian cubic feet (the Persian foot being half the cubit of 25·26 inches). The Persian cubic foot of water being the Persian or Greek-Asiatic talent, at its calculated value of 72·61 lb., the cubed cubit is 8 × 72·61 = 580·88 lb. = 58·088 gallons.
This was the Arab (and Hebrew) Den = 58·2 gallons, divided into
| 4 Artaba of | 14·55 | gallons | |
| each of | 4 Wuebe of | 3·6375 | „ |
| each of | 6 Saa of | 0·6064 | „ |
The Artaba was thus = 2 cubic feet, and the Saa was the qirát, 1/24 of the Artaba.
The modern Persian Artaba = 14·47 gallons.
2. The cubed Black cubit of Al-Mamūn = 34·73 gallons.
3. The cubed Black foot of Al-Mamūn = 10·29 gallons, the weight of which was the Kantar = 102·92 lb.
4. The Ardeb = 4 cubed Black feet; 4 × 10·29 = 41·168 gallons.
The measures derived from these cubed linear measures are as follows:
1. The first of these measures, the cubed Persian cubit, has been accurately preserved in the Cafiz of Tunis, which is the Den, doubled, 2 × 58·088 = 116·4 gallons. Its present standard is 116·34 gallons, and it is divided into
| 16 Wuebe | of 7·27 | gallons | (1/2 Artaba) |
| each of 12 Saa | of 0·605 | „ |
While the Cafiz of Tunis is of 8 Artaba, the Cahiz of Spain is of 10 Artaba, 10 × 14·55 = 145·5 gallons. It is divided into
12 Fanegas of 12·125 gallons
each of 12 Almudas or Celemines of 1·0104 gallons.
The present standard in Spain of the Cahiz = 144·7 gallons, the Fanega being = 12·06 gallons, and the Celemin = 1·005 gallon. The Tomolo of Naples is = 12·22 gallons.
2. The second measure, the cubed Black cubit = 34·73 gallons, is the basis of the fluid (oil and wine) measures of Tunis, and also of Spain, Provence and Paris.
Reduced in inverse water-wheat ratio, it gives 34·73/1·22 = 28·46 gallons.
This fluid measure, apparently not extant at the present time, is yet found in its double, the Moyo of Spain = 56·79 gallons, and its half, the Mezzaruola of Italy, the Mieirolo of Marseilles.
The Mieirolo is the basis of other important measures; its standard, = 28·46/2 = 14·19 gallons, is found—
| in Tunis | = 13·97 | gallons | |
| in Tripoli | = 14·19 | „ | |
| in Spain | = 14-23 | „ | (1/4 Moyo). |
A quarter of this measure is the Arroba mayor of Spain (arroba = al-rūbá, the fourth), the Escandau of Marseilles = 3·54 gallons.
The half of the Arroba, or of the Escandau, corresponds to the Velte, 1·76 gallon at Paris, 1·73 gallon in Hanover, &c. It is the meeting point of Northern and Southern measures, which are derived quite separately from Al-Mamūn’s cubit, the former by weight, the latter by measure.
The measures of Portugal differ little from those of Spain. The corn-unit is the Fanga (Sp. fanega, Ar. faníqa, sack) = 12·17 gallons. There appears to have been a larger unit of 6 fangas, as the name of the Alqueire, 1/4 fanga, implies that this smaller unit was a qirát, 1/24 of a large measure = 6 fangas.
The alqueire varies in capacity. In Brazil it is our Imperial bushel.
In Spain the fanega is the usual seed-measure of land; it is = 1·6 acre (exactly the saumado seed-measure of Provence), though probably that amount of land requires fully 2 fanegas of seed-corn.
The cubed Black cubit appears also as a corn-measure, its original purpose.
| Original standard 34·73 gallons | = 4·34 | bushels |
| Rebekeh of Egypt | = 4·32 | „ |
| Cargo of Marseilles | = 4·26 | „ |
| Setier of Paris | = 4·29 | „ |
3. The cubed Black foot, = 10·292 gallons, passed with the Moors to Spain; it was the standard of the old Burgos fanega until the fifteenth century, when the present Avila standard prevailed.
4. The Ardeb of 4 cubed Black feet, 4 × 10·292 = 41·168 gallons, is represented by the Cairo Ardeb of the present time, = 40 gallons or 5 bushels, generally somewhat more. It is divided into 6 Wuebe, each of 4 Rūba or quarters, which are qiráts, 1/24 of the Ardeb. The standard of the Cairo Ardeb varies. It is sometimes put at as much as 5·44 bushels = 43·52 gallons. The official standard of the Ardeb of wheat is 297 lb., = 38·5 gallons at 60 lb. to the bushel.
Turkey
The weights and measures of capacity seem a maze of confusion, until the clue is found. There is a double series of weights based on the dirhem and on the ounce. This ounce is not mentioned in the series of weights, but once discovered, it gives the clue to the maze, and the system is then seen to be really simple.
It has already been seen that the weights are in a double series giving the Oka of 400 dirhems, and the Cantar of 2000 Egypto-Roman ounces, = 124·7 lb., divided into 100 rottoli. The weight of the dirhem, = 49·5 grains in the cheké goldsmith’s weight, becomes = 49·6 in the Oka, 1/44 of the Cantar.
Fluid-measure.—A double cantar, 2 × 124·7 lb. = 249·4 lb., was increased in water-wheat ratio, 249·4 × 1·25 = 311·75 lb. = 31·175 gallons. The actual capacity of this water-Cantar is 31·412 gallons. This measure is divided into 100 rottoli-measure (= 3·14 lb. of water), each of 2-1/2 rottoli weight = 50 ounces.
Corn-measure.—The Cantar measure becomes, for corn, the Fortin, at a standard of 31·1 gallons. This measure being 2 × 1·25 = 2-1/2 times the Cantar weight of 2000 ounces, contains 5000 ounces of water or 4000 ounces of wheat. It is divided into 4 Killows of 7·775 gallons. This measure is evidently named from the Greek chilioi (Fr. kilo) as holding 1000 ounces of wheat. It is divided again into 4 Saa.
The Fortin is also divided into 88 rottoli, the rottolo containing 500 dirhems of water or 400 dirhems of corn.
In fluid-measure there is an oka-measure; 8 oka, = 3-2/3 rottoli-measure, make an Almud = 1·15 gallon. I only mention this intrusive measure to confer it with the Spanish Almuda or Celemin = 1·01 gallon.
These Turkish measures, fluid and corn, afford another instance of the practice of increasing a fluid measure in water-wheat ratio, and then of using this increased measure for fluids as well as corn. Instances of this practice have been seen in German measures (for instance the Himt). And our own gallon affords a somewhat similar instance. Increased from the cubic foot to make a corn-gallon, this was again increased by 3 per cent. to make the Imperial gallon, both for fluids and for corn.
Italy
The system of measures left from ancient Rome, themselves of Oriental origin, has been to a great extent overlaid by Arabic measures.
In Bologne the Corba, = 17·3 gallons, is half the cubed Black cubit, to which the Neapolitan oil-Salma, = 35·5 gallons, is closely approximate.
In Rome the principal corn-measure, the Rubbio = 64·77 gallons, bears an Arabic name; it is doubled in the Tuscan Moggio, and investigation would probably discover a measure of 4 rubbii = 259 gallons = 32-1/3 bushels or about the old English chaldron of 4 quarters.
The Starello of Sardinia, = 10·8 gallons, is approximately a quarter of the Ardeb.