Lineal Measures

LINEAL MEASURES. The units derived from 20.62 inches This standard of the cubit was used in Egypt inches MM. 20.62 from the time of the predynastic royal tombs 524 onwards. The first accurate example yet pub lished is in the size of the pyramid of Snefru (3rd dyn.), at 20-66, but still more.exactly 20-62 in the pyramid of Khufu. The pure system of it was: n, ioo = meh cubit, ioo=khet -206 20-62 2062 inches But it was mixed with other systems as: zebo, 4=shep, 7=meh, ioo=khet, I20=ater or digit palm cubit reel skhoinos '737 20.62 2062 3.9 miles.

This was termed the "royal cubit" throughout history. The Babylonian 20.89 of Gudea may be another form, and probably the origin, of this. It appears in Asia Minor as 2o-55 to 20.94; in tombs at Jerusalem as 20-57; in six English stone circles as 20-55. The eastern system was: uban, 5=qat, 6=ammat, 6=qanu, 6o=sos, 3o=parasang, 2=kaspu .695 3'475 125.1 7506 225,i80 450.360 The same cubit of 20-68 appears in stone buildings of New Mexico.

12.45

This foot is 4 of the cubit of 2o-75. It is 316 found in Athens as 12.44, Aigina 12.4o, Mile tos 12.51, Olympia 12.62, Etruria 12.45, mediaeval England 12-47. The system was: foot, o = akaina, io= plethron, 6 = stadion 124.5 7470 From the foot was formed a cubit of 18.7, 474 foot, il=cubit, 4=orguia, ioo=stadion 18.7 74'7 7470 13.8 Another foot was formed of 4 of the cubit, 350 adopted by Philetairos of Pergamon as a standard.

This was the short cubit of Egypt, actually 17.72 450 found as a measuring rod and having 6 palms it was directly connected as of the 20-67 cubit. As 17.6 it is recognized as the early Jewish cubit.

The digit and derived measures.

inches This digit was of the diagonal of the mm.

•729

20-62 cubit. The diagonal of the cubit, 4o 18.51 digits, is found as a wand of the middle prehistoric age, 29.i long. Another multiple was the half of this, 20 digits, called the remen, used as a basis of land measure. By having two systems, one the diagonal of the other, it was possible to denote one square half the area of another.

This measure is rare in comparison with the 12.45 foot. It has been supposed to have been used for the Parthenon, but the 11.69 foot agrees more closely with that. The of 25 digits, being a fractional amount, was inconvenient, and the foot of 12.15 was divided binarily into 16 digits, of 96 to the orguia, or •759 inch. Such seems to have been the original connection of the different Greek systems, but much more dated material is needed.

11 613 From the digit of •729, on which the Greek 294.9 .

measures were based, as for the Parthenon 11.69, the Italic foot of 16 digits was formed of 11.66, or as it was later at Rome '1.613; the series was This was widely spread by Roman influence, varying up to 11.8. It has an earlier history, being used for the Parthenon and per haps the Theseion as 11•69, and as an Etruscan measure (11.59), also in prehistoric times at Stonehenge (11.68), and probably in other stone circles and hill figures (11.60). Such are the linked systems of great extent, from which have been derived many units.

13.3

This widespread measure is first found in 338 Egypt, as wooden cubit rods of 26.5 to of the 12th dynasty: later, a very accurate standard slab of this unit, divided in 7 palms, reaches 26.80. In Asia Minor it is found as 13.35 in buildings, in Greece 13.36, at Lachish 13.18 (goo B.c.), in Syria (A.D. 62o) as 13.22, carried on as the Stam buli cubit of 26-6. Hultsch takes it as 13.1, and connects it with the Drusian foot of 2 digits longer than the Roman foot, or 13.1o. This was the Belgic foot which Drusus had to adopt as a northern standard for the border settlements of the Agri Decumates. Hence it connects with the base of English land measure, It was the commonest building foot in mediaeval England (13.2), and its age is seen by its use as the measure for Silbury hill (13.0). It was also the basis for French architecture, the canne of 78.24, or six feet of 13.04. Unfortunately this old equivalent for the metre has now disappeared.