title: An ancient relation between units of length and volume based on a sphere.
abstract: The modern metric system defines units of volume based on the cube. We propose that the ancient Egyptian system of measuring capacity employed a similar concept, but used the sphere instead. When considered in ancient Egyptian units, the volume of a sphere, whose circumference is one royal cubit, equals half a hekat. Using the measurements of large sets of ancient containers as a database, the article demonstrates that this formula was characteristic of Egyptian and Egyptian-related pottery vessels but not of the ceramics of Mesopotamia, which had a different system of measuring length and volume units.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zapassky
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gadot
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
authors.forename: Itzhak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Benenson
mesh_terms: D000076144:Egypt, Ancient; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008792:Metric System / Q000266:history*