Ancient Measuring Devices For Length

The length of a foot the width of a finger and the distance of a step were all accepted measurements.

Ancient measuring devices for length. Length is the most necessary measurement in everyday life and units of length in many countries still reflect humanity s first elementary methods. Ancient egyptians used their hands and feet to measure length and width. In ancient times the body ruled when it came to measuring. Examples of the above length are plentiful.

Knowing how to measure length was quite useful for surveying land for property right purposes. At first an inch was the width of a man s thumb. Ancient modern instruments for measurement of length to measure very long lengths like the length of a road we use measuring tape or an odometer. Examples of length include the inch the foot the yard and the mile.

Pedes investigation of its relation to the english foot goes back at least to 1647 when john greaves published his discourse on the romane foot greaves visited rome in 1639 and measured among other things the foot measure on the tomb of titus statilius aper that on the statue of cossutius formerly in. The inch is a thumb. Royal egyptian 1 142857ft the most discussed and scrutinised historical measurement. The most natural way to measure length is to compare it to some part of the body and for centuries people did just that the unit we call a foot has been used since ancient times.

If there were any measurement that has proven to be the most useful to humanity it would be length. Russian 1 166666ft one half of the russian arshin one sixth of the sadzhen. The basic unit of roman linear measurement was the pes or roman foot plural. Variants at one and one half of these.

Some greek measures of length were named after parts of the body such as the δάκτυλος daktylos plural. It is the basis of punic measure and variables are recorded in greek statuary from asia minor. The inch was the size of their thumb and the foot was well their foot. Knowing the length of the land gave the precise units needed to price accordingly.

The foot speaks for itself. δάκτυλοι daktyloi or finger having the size of a thumb and the πούς pous plural. In fact galileo is credited with the invention of the thermometer. For its part an inch was traditionally the width of an average thumb but edward ii of england ruled in the 14th century.

Though the thermometer was first actively used during the 1700s as a measurement of temperature when the first scale was added to the instrument as early as the first century bce the ancient greeks used a measurement device similar to the modern day thermometer. The yard relates closely to a human pace but also derives from two cubits the measure of the forearm. In the 14th century king edward ii of england ruled that 1 inch equalled 3 grains of barley placed end to end lengthwise. Since these lengths always varied the royal cubit was introduced which was a granite rod that used the current king s dimensions as the standard by which to measure objects.