Ancient Measuring Tools For Length

It is equal to the length of an average foot formerly 11 1 42 inches but now 12 inches.

Ancient measuring tools for length.

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. Archaeologists have uncovered many simple measurement tools along with units of measurement used by ancient societies. Often considered the first unit of measurement the cubit was developed by the ancient egyptians and was the length of the arm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger about 18 inches. Ancient egyptians used their hands and feet to measure length and width.

Luckily we ve come a long way from the days of using belts thumbs and cubits for measurement but it s always nice to know more about the tools you. Measurement tools have a long history which reaches all the way back to ancient times. 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. People in ancient times used the different parts of their bodies to size things up.

An inch was the width of a man s thumb a hand was literally meant five fingers across a span was the length of an outstretched arm and the yard in the 12th century was the distance from king henry i s nose to the thumb of his. Some of the standard instruments used to measure length are a ruler meter scale measuring tape vernier caliper and screw gauge. For its part an inch was traditionally the width of an average thumb but edward ii of england ruled in the 14th century. Try to step back in time and imagine a world without measurement tools.

There are actually countless devices to measure length. From the smallest to the largest ones and from the most ancient to the top notch ones all the length measuring devices typically serve different kinds of range. Interesting enough many of these tools have changed very little over the years and are still in use today as part of modern day society. Ancient people used their different body parts such as arm and foot to measure length.

The inch was the size of their thumb and the foot was well their foot.