congius n : a British imperial capacity measure (liquid or dry) equal to 4 quarts or 4.545 liters [syn: gallon, Imperial gallon] [also: congii (pl)]

In Ancient Roman measurement, congius (from Greek konkhion, diminutive of konkhē, konkhos, "shellful") was a liquid measure, which contained six sextarii, or the eighth-part of the amphora; that is about 3.25 litres (0.86 U.S. gallons). It was equal to the larger chous of the Ancient Greeks.

There is a congius in existence, called the "congius of Vespasian", or the "Farnese congius", bearing an inscription stating it was made in the year 75, according to the standard measure in the capitol, and that it contained, by weight, ten pounds (3.4 kg). This congius is one of the means by which an attempt has been made to fix the weight of the Roman pound (Libra).

Cato tells us that he was wont to give each of his slaves a congius of wine at the Saturnalia and Compitalia. Pliny relates, among other examples of hard drinking, that a Novellius Torquatus of Mediolanum obtained a cognomen (Tricongius, a nine-bottle-man) by drinking three congii of wine at once:

The congius was also used in England, as appears by a charter of Edmund I in 946.

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