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history:h_meas1
History of Measurements
- see also:
Distance:
- bronze & early iron ages:
- measurements used:
- cubit:
- Egyptian = 20.6 +/- 0.19in = 524 +/- 5mm (divided into palms & digits)
- Jewish = 17.5in = 447mm
- Assyrian = 21.5in = 546mm (divided into 2 feet, each being 3 palms long, each palm being 20 susi)
- Turkey/Persian = 26.6 +/- 0.19in = 676 +/- 5mm (in use until 19thC AD!)
- ancient Greeks:
- set standards of measurement:
- Greek foot (the precursor of the British foot) = 1/2 Egyptian cubit = 12.45in = 316.25mm
- Roman empire:
- set standards of measurement:
- Roman foot = 11.6in = 296mm = 16 digitus (fingers) = 12 uncia (inches) = 4 palmus
- Roman mile = 1000 paces (mille passus) = 5000 Roman feet = 1480 metric metres
- 8thC AD - Charlemagne in France:
- in agreement with Arabian rulers & traders, set a standard of measurement based on Arabian cubit:
- Arabian cubit = 25.56in = 649mm = 2 Frankish feet = 24 pouces or inches
- this lasted in France until superceded by the metric system in 1795
- 1305AD Edward I in England:
- declared standards for measurements:
- 1 inch = 3 grains of barley round and dry
- 12 inch = 1 foot
- 3 foot = 1 ulna (yard)
- 5.5 ulna = 1 rod
- 40 rods x 4 rods = 1 acre
- 1497AD Henry VII in England:
- set weight & distance standards
- 1742AD Royal Society of London commissioned George Graham to produce a brass bar of the standard yard
- 1760AD royal commissioned yard-long bar which was accepted in British parliament in 1824 but destroyed in 1834 when the parliament building was burnt down.
- French introduce the metric system which was accepted in French law in 1795
- British imperial measures legalised in 1855 and remained until superceded by the metric system.
history/h_meas1.txt · Last modified: 2013/01/14 21:23 by gary1
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