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Message:: [QUOTE="Juan Blanco, post: 1571520, member: 41665"]I would change "looking to" to "wondering if." I agree it's an interesting idea AND I too remain skeptical. Hence, my OP (a deliberately & admittedly nebulous 'theme,' rather than preconceived & explicit 'point.') The older I get, the more I realize the questions rather than the answers are what's important to the process. In fact, I don't 'need' to be 'right.' Although I believe my corrections most accurate, this specific exercise - counting whatever amount of Wheat in whatever amount of Money - is not entirely "new." See Moses Lowman (Paraphrase and Notes..., 1737) Errors above in Lowman's calculations above notwithstanding. I do risk misreading things - but anyone can err, as you've shown us - with or without a specialist's expertise. I did NOT ever mention drachm nor 'hapahzardly mix chœnix & modius' either. The Roman Edict of AD 93 cited modius and the BoR 6:6 (c.AD 94) cited chœnix. The chœnix/modius was a retail/wholesale distinction familiar to any literate Koiné Greek writer then living under Roman authority in Asia Minor. Even I - pleb of the forum - can grasp that simple fact. For dry measure, 1 Attic chœnix was taken for 2 sextarii*; and 16 sextarii = modius (550 cub. in.), and so 69 cubic inches (1.125 liters.) The Phyrgian chœnix was apparently abit more generous, 1.5 litres (according to the archaelogical evidence) but I've already noted the chœnix varies by region and perhaps town. Huge discrepancies? Perhaps so. *fwiw: De Re Coquinaria, Book II, Chapter 2 # 51 for the recipe "Aliter de pullo" Apicius mentions a choenicem of chicken stock. Chicken stock was so well-known then too, that he didn't need to explain that chœnix was 2 sextarii. Here is an excellent discussion of the vigorous scholarly debate on exactly how many modii were isssued to Roman soldier monthly (3, 4 or 5) and how that was reflected in the organizational structure of the Army. Food-economy, again! Based on the daily ration of 1 chœnix (=2 sextarii) I suppose the larger chœnix (at Flaviopolis) discounts the 5 modii claim (far too much grain) but allows the 4 modii assertion (32 chœnikes = 64 sextarii.) <a href="http://www.realtechsupport.org/temp/IoT/texts/IoT_Logistics_of_the_Roman_Army_at_War.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.realtechsupport.org/temp/IoT/texts/IoT_Logistics_of_the_Roman_Army_at_War.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.realtechsupport.org/temp/IoT/texts/IoT_Logistics_of_the_Roman_Army_at_War.pdf</a> Domitian increased the soldier's pay: there's debate how much. From 900 sesterii to 1,200 sesterii? Paid thrice annually, that's an increase from 75 Denarii > 100 Denarii. From 10 > 13 Asses per day?   Or paid quarterly, from 13.15 > 17.53 Asses per day.  The later suggests the daily wage of 1 denarius, fwiw<a href="http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/domitian-index.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/domitian-index.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/domitian-index.html</a>[/QUOTE]

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