The Collaborative International Dictionary
Modius \Mo"di*us\, n.; pl. Modii. [L.] (Rom. Antiq.) A dry measure, containing about a peck.
Wiktionary
n. (context historical Roman antiquity English) A dry measure, containing about a peck.
Wikipedia
Modius may refer to:
- an ancient Roman unit for Dry measures, (8.73 l) roughly equivalent to a peck
- Modius (headdress), a type of cylindrical headdress so called for its resemblance to the measure of grain
- Modius, the family name of the gens Modia
The modius is a type of flat-topped cylindrical headdress or crown found in ancient Egyptian art and art of the Greco-Roman world. The name was given by modern scholars based on its resemblance to the jar used as a Roman unit of dry measure, but it probably does represent a grain-measure, and symbolized powers over fecundity in those wearing it.
The modius is worn by certain deities, including Mut, Eleusinian deities and their Roman counterparts, the Ephesian Artemis and certain other forms of the goddess, Hecate, and Serapis. On some deities it represents fruitfulness.
A tall modius is part of the complex headdress used for portraits of Egyptian queens, ornamented variously with symbols, vegetative motifs, and the uraeus. It was also the distinctive headdress of Palmyrene priests.
Usage examples of "modius".
A family could buy a whole modius of wheat, enough for a week of meals, for just three denarii, and a whole congius of fairly palatable wine for a single sesterce.