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* Anne H. Groton{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1995|Title=From Alpha to Omega|Publisher=Focus Information group|ID=ISBN 0941051382}} * Anne H. Groton{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1995|Title=From Alpha to Omega|Publisher=Focus Information group|ID=ISBN 0941051382}}
* Hines{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1981|Title=Our Latin Heritage|Publisher=Harcourt Brace|ID=ISBN 0153894687}} * Hines{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1981|Title=Our Latin Heritage|Publisher=Harcourt Brace|ID=ISBN 0153894687}}
* Vitruvius{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1960|Title=The Ten Books on Architecture|Publisher=Dover|}} * Vitruvius{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1960|Title=The Ten Books on Architecture|Publisher=Dover|ID=}}
* Claudias Ptolemy{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1991|Title=The Geography|Publisher=Dover|ID=ISBN 048626896}} * Claudias Ptolemy{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1991|Title=The Geography|Publisher=Dover|ID=ISBN 048626896}}
* Herodotus{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1952|Title=The History|Publisher=William Brown|}} * Herodotus{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1952|Title=The History|Publisher=William Brown|ID=}}
* Silvia Luraghi{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1990|Title=Old Hittite Sentence Structure|Publisher=Routledge|ID=ISBN 0415047358}} * Silvia Luraghi{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1990|Title=Old Hittite Sentence Structure|Publisher=Routledge|ID=ISBN 0415047358}}
* Michael Grant{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1987|Title=The Rise of the Greeks |Publisher=Charles Scribners Sons|}} * Michael Grant{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1987|Title=The Rise of the Greeks |Publisher=Charles Scribners Sons|ID=}}
* Alex Patterson{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1991|Title=A Field Guide to Rock Art Symbols of the Greater Southwest|Publisher=Johnson Books|ID=ISBN 1555660916}} * Alex Patterson{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1991|Title=A Field Guide to Rock Art Symbols of the Greater Southwest|Publisher=Johnson Books|ID=ISBN 1555660916}}
* Lucas N. H. Bunt, Phillip S.Jones, Jack D. Bedient * Lucas N. H. Bunt, Phillip S.Jones, Jack D. Bedient {{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1976|Title=The Historical Roots of Elementary Mathematics|Publisher=Dover|ID=ISBN 0486255638}}
{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1976|Title=The Historical Roots of Elementary Mathematics|Publisher=Dover|ID=ISBN 0486255638}} * H Arthur Klein{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1976|Title=The World of Measurements |Publisher=Simon and Schuster|ID=}}
* H Arthur Klein{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1976|Title=The World of Measurements |Publisher=Simon and Schuster|}} * R. A. Cordingley{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1951|Title=Norman's Parrallel of the Orders of Architecture|Publisher=Alex Trianti Ltd|ID=}}
* R. A. Cordingley{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1951|Title=Norman's Parrallel of the Orders of Architecture|Publisher=Alex Trianti Ltd|}}
* Jean Gimpel{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1976|Title=The Medieval Machine|Publisher=Holt Rheinhart & Winston|ID=ISBN 0030146364}} * Jean Gimpel{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1976|Title=The Medieval Machine|Publisher=Holt Rheinhart & Winston|ID=ISBN 0030146364}}
* Lionel Casson{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1991|Title=The Ancient Mariners|Publisher=PUP|ID=ISBN 06910147879}} * Lionel Casson{{Section:Book reference after author|Year=1991|Title=The Ancient Mariners|Publisher=PUP|ID=ISBN 06910147879}}

Revision as of 04:01, 14 August 2005

Ancient Weights and Measures

Many of the ancient weights and measures used throughout history are variations on a common theme sharing the same system. Despite a number of different civilisations making adjustments to serve their own purposes the accuracy and agreement of definitions improved over time.

Measurements that are used to define property are often used to impose taxes or tithes resulting in there being one measure for ordinary transactions and another for royal or religious transactions. Though throughout history people and their various representatives in guilds and lobbys, have been very scrupulous in defending the value of their possessions, governments and religions are even more scrupulous about getting their cut.

The first measures were the lengths of the ditches that bordered and defined the fields. Since people tend to pace off a distance differently, knotted cords were used to measure their sides and cord stretchers became the first surveyors.


Ancient Cultures sharing similar systems of measurement

Later developments of the original systems

Unrelated systems

References

External links

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