Linear measures of length. Area units (grade 5)

Hello, dear guys! And greetings to you, dear parents!

All of you know length measures from mathematics. In our age of big technology, we easily calculate meters and kilometers, use a ruler and measure distances. The common units of measurement established not only in Russia, but throughout the world allow us to speak the same mathematical language.

Do you know how length was measured by our ancestors, because there were no lined rulers then! Does anyone hear such words about something that have come to us from afar, like a fathom, a span or an inch? How much is a verst or arshin? Ancient measures of length - that's what we'll do today.

Lesson plan:

What was measured in Rus'?

In ancient times in Rus', a person was used to measure length, or rather, his body parts - arms, palms, feet. Here are some of the oldest measuring methods that were used thousands of years ago.

Elbow

Starting from the 11th century, it was measured along the hand from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow joint, and according to various sources that have come down to us, the figure was about 45-47 centimeters. The elbow used by ancient people included six palms, and the palm included four fingers.

“But people are different!” - you will say, and you will be right. I had to come up with a single sample in the form of a conventional stick in order to use not an individual, but a “common” elbow. This length measure was widely used by merchants to measure cloth and linen.

This is interesting! They say about not very smart people: “The nose is as big as an elbow, but the mind is as big as a fingernail.” Indeed, it happens that a person sticks his long nose where it doesn’t belong.

Span

You can imagine how much it is if you stretch your thumb and forefinger out to the sides. Measure the distance between them, it should be 17.78-19 centimeters.

The large span will be between the thumb and middle finger (22-23 centimeters), as well as the span “with a kutyrka” - with the addition of two more joints of the index finger (27-30 centimeters).

This is interesting! Previously, icons were measured by spans; in everyday life it was a measure for the thickness of snow. They say about very smart people: “Seven spans in the forehead,” as if believing that a large forehead is proportional to a great mind. This saying should not be taken literally, otherwise just imagine that the forehead of a smart guy should be 1.26 meters high!

Fathom

This was one of the most used length measures in Rus'. It comes from the verb “to reach”, that is, as far as you can reach with your hand. At first it was the distance between two hands extended shoulder-width apart from the thumb of one to the thumb of the other (152 centimeters).

Then a great oblique fathom appeared, measured diagonally from the left leg turned to the side to the toes raised up right hand(248 centimeters). The measurement between widely spaced male arms, calculated from the fingertips, was called a fly fathom (176 centimeters).

This is interesting! In construction and when surveying land plots, fattened ropes were used. If they say about you “Slant fathoms in the shoulders,” then you have something to be proud of, because this saying characterizes a broad-shouldered hero.

Verst

A measure used in Rus', which was used to reprimand the path. Previously, it was called “field”. Initially it indicated the distance from the turn of the plow to the next turn. What is noteworthy is that different time Different lengths were put into a mile, since there was a way mile, measuring the distance, and a boundary mile, measuring the land.

So, in the 15th century, there were 750 fathoms in a verst, in 1649, under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the boundary value included 1000 fathoms, and under Peter I, only the track was preserved, which covered only 500 (1070 meters), finally replacing the boundary measure.

This is interesting! Verstoy was not only a name for distance; it was also the name given to high pillars standing along the roads. Do you know why tall people are sometimes called “Verst Kolomenskaya”? Along the main road from Moscow to the village of Kolomenskoye, where the summer house Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, they erected huge pillars, which were not found anywhere in Russia. This is how the expression stuck to those who were incredibly tall.

Step

Distance was often measured in steps, the average length of which was 71 centimeters. During duels this was the most common measure.

This is interesting! At a distance of 10 steps, Dantes shot Alexander Pushkin in 1837 in St. Petersburg.

Arshin

The measure of length appeared under the need to trade with the East, and they came along with foreign merchants. Converted to centimeters, this is 71.12, and previously the arshin was tied to the length of a human arm.

So that no one would deceive anyone during trade, a wooden ruler was made in Moscow, of which copies were made and distributed throughout Russia. The ends of the government arshin were bound with iron and marked state seal so that the measure cannot be shortened. Arshin replaced such lengths as cubit and span from the system of measurements.

This is interesting! What do you think the proverb “Like a yardstick swallowed” means? This is what they say about someone who walks unnaturally straight, as if “toe the line,” as if he had a wooden ruler inside him.

Vershok

This measure of length appears along with the arshin in the 17th century and is the length of the main phalanx of the index finger, approximately 4.45 centimeters. Usually, human height or the height of animals was measured vertically.

This is interesting! Do you think it’s correct to say “The pot is two inches away, and already the pointer”? Let's do the math: two inches is only about 9 centimeters (4.45 * 2). Are there such people? Error?! Absolutely not. The fact is that previously a person’s height was measured starting from two arshins, since a little more than 142 centimeters was mandatory for an adult. Then they added tops to this base. So from a pot of two inches – that’s 151 centimeters!

Line

The tiny length, equal to the width of a wheat grain, is 2.54 millimeters.

Previously, it was used to measure the neck of glass lamp. It was also a unit of measurement for caliber firearms.

This is interesting! Do you know why the rifle is called three-line? I think you guessed correctly: the caliber of this weapon is three sizes of a measure called “line” - 3 * 2.54mm.

By the 13th century, there were about 400 different measures in different countries, which complicated trade between them. In 1835, Russia correlated its measurements with English ones, after which inches and feet came to us, displacing fathoms and arshins. In 1918, the meter was adopted as the basis for the unit of length.

These were the measurements before. Now, having met somewhere in literary work the words “verst”, “arshin” and “fathom”, you can easily explain what it is, how it is measured and how much it is. Well, for a scientific project on this topic, you can easily get an A and surprise your classmates with new information.

Good luck in your studies!

Evgenia Klimkovich.

In the language of modern youth there is the word “stopudovo”, which means complete accuracy, confidence and maximum effect. That is, “one hundred pounds” is the largest measure of volume, if words have such weight? How much is this - a pound, does anyone who uses this word know?

A pound of salt for two

This is an ancient measure of the volume of bulk products, equal to forty pounds, in kilograms this is a little more than sixteen, and more precisely - 16.38 kg by today's standards. The name is believed to come from the Latin pondus, meaning "weight". Puds initially measured honey, flour and salt as the most popular goods, but later this volume measure extended to all hard and heavy products.

Nowadays, the term “pound” has been preserved only among heavyweight athletes; the classic weight of sixteen kilograms is called “pound weight”.

At the same time, a pood was not considered the largest weight value - ten poods were collected into a new wholesale measure: Berkovets, the name of which came from the island of Bjork, with which ancient merchants traded. This was the weight of one ordinary barrel filled with wax, which could be loaded onto the ship by one worker. Almost 164 kilograms in one fell swoop! Indeed, in Rus' every second person was a hero.

Weights

In addition to pud and berkovets, there were smaller Russian measures of product volume:

• The pound, which was also called the hryvnia, consisted of 32 lots or 96 spools. By our standards, this is almost 410 grams. This is one of the few that has stood the test of time - in America and Western European countries it is still used as the main one. In Rus', the hryvnia was both a measure of weight and a monetary unit, being the most common among traders.
• A lot was equal to three spools (12.8 grams) and was a very common measure: a unit of volume in cooking and pharmacy.

• Zolotnik (zlatnik) was originally the name of a gold coin weighing 4.26 grams in modern terms; merchants used it instead of a weight on scales when weighing out everyday goods: sugar, tea and salt. In 1899, the spool was officially classified as a measure of volume and weight.
• The share was considered the smallest measure of weight in ancient times - its weight is about 0.044 grams, it was used by pharmacists. Ninety-six shares made up one spool.

Liquid volume measures

The leading measuring container for measuring liquids was a bucket (12 liters), which, starting from the tenth century, was used to measure alcoholic drinks (honey, mead, kvass, beer and mash), water for preparing large quantities of food at feasts and various berries, later grains cereals, milk and small-sized fruits and vegetables. The bucket was divided into smaller component sizes, very convenient in home use and the sale of alcohol in taverns.

It was the “wine” measures that included more than a dozen items, and there was still a strict arithmetic ratio and was a multiple of four: 1: 2: 4: 8: 16.

The bucket was divided into ten mugs, one hundred glasses or two hundred scales. At the same time, there was a value of twenty vodka bottles, which was also equal to one bucket (modern boxes with vodka also include exactly twenty bottles, which means one bucket), which, in turn, was divided into half and quarter (three liters). For some time, “korchaga” was still used, which was equivalent to one and a half buckets (according to some sources, a bucket and three quarters).

The largest measure of volume was considered to be a barrel that could hold forty buckets; it was mainly used for wholesale trade with foreigners, since retail trade in alcoholic beverages was prohibited for them. There were also small five-liter barrels.

Additionally, a large number of “home” measuring containers were used in everyday life, which were not permanent, but were used quite often: a boiler, a jug, a valley, a tub and a box, a tub, a tub and a tub, a wineskin (this volume most likely came from eastern countries ), measures of dairy products were also actively used: a jar, a jug, a milk pan.

All these containers often differed slightly in size, so they did not have exact proportions.

How were alcoholic drinks measured?

The heyday of “wine measures” occurred in the era of Peter the Great and reached large-scale proportions: drinking establishments and taverns offered a wide selection of drinks on tap:

• A quarter was equal to three liters, the same name given to a large glass bottle with a long neck.
• The bottle (it was also called the Russian bottle) contained six hundred milligrams of liquid.
• The mug was large (by today's standards) - 1.23 liters - and could hold exactly ten glasses.
• Charka was equal to 0.123 liters and was a popular container for lovers of “hot drinks”; in everyday life there was a slang name: korets (hook).
• A shot glass - it was considered an acceptable norm for a single dose of alcohol; its volume was exactly one hundred grams.
• Shkalik - it was popularly called “kosushka” and was equated to half a glass - 60 grams.
• Shtof passed from the Germans and firmly established itself, equal to a tenth of a bucket or two bottles (1.2 liters) and containing ten glasses. Based on this, half a bottle, equal to half a bottle, was also in demand.
• A quarter was the smallest measure of liquid volume, containing only 37 and a half grams.

All these volume measures were approved by the “Charter on Wine” in 1781 and have been preserved to this day.

Written in capital letters

The most frequently used measures of length and width were the fathom and the arshin. A fathom was equal to one and a half meters - this is the arm span of an average person, and an arshin - to seventy-two centimeters (they say this size was originally taken from the size of Peter the Great's ruler, which he often carried with him), that is, two arshins is almost a fathom. These measures were used to calculate height, short distances, and dimensions when constructing objects - it was convenient and practical, because the “ruler” was always with you.

There was also an oblique fathom in use - this is the distance between the toe of the foot and the opposite hand raised above the head: the distance was within two and a half meters. And another measure competed with the arshin - a step, which was equated to almost the same length - 72 centimeters.

For measuring small objects

Elbow, according to various sources, was equal to 38 or 47 centimeters, this is the length of the arm from the end of the middle finger to the elbow joint. This size was ideal for textile merchants, whose rolls were up to 60 cubits long.

The palm was considered the sixth part of the elbow and was used for calculations small areas during construction.

The span was divided into several options:

• The small span (in some areas it was called a “quarter”) was measured between the widely extended thumb and forefinger and was equal to 17.78 centimeters.
• Large span - between the thumb and little finger (23 cm).
• A span with a somersault - the length of the first two joints of the index finger was added to the usual span, which equated to almost thirty centimeters.
• Vershok - in modern terms it is 4.44 centimeters, which was equal to one sixteenth of an arshin. Height was often measured using tops.

Versta - this measure was used to measure long distances; its second name is “field”, which denoted the length of one strip from the edge of the field to the first turn of the plow. Later they began to use it to calculate the length of paths, roads and distances between settlements. At different times, there were different numbers of fathoms in a verst: before Peter the Great - 500, and since the reign of Alexei - already a thousand.

Measures for calculating areas

To account for plowed and sown land, tithes (which were divided into smaller components) and square fathoms were used. One tithe was equal to 2,400 square fathoms (1,093 hectares) and was divided into half a tithe and a quarter of a tithe. The square fathom consisted of four and a half square meters, which was 16 square meters. Arshinov. Also, a haystack was added to these methods of calculation - this is one tenth of a tithe, in this way the amount of grain and hay harvest collected in stacks (stacks) was calculated.

Currency

The Old Slavic monetary system characteristically emphasized the identity and uniqueness of the Russian nation: the quadruple (25 rubles), the ruble (the second name for the metal ruble), the altyn (3 kopecks) and the five-altyn (three × five = 15), the ten-kopeck ten-kopeck piece and the half-ruble (the smallest one is equal to one penny) - what pleasing names!

Under Peter the Great wage for an ordinary worker was from five to eight kopecks a day, this amount was equal to the cost of half a pound of bread - that’s eight kilograms! This is a lot for that time.

Proverbs and sayings about measures

The Russian flavor is clearly visible in proverbs, revealing to the world all the subtleties of psychology and the life wisdom of the Slavs in simple words accessible to everyone.

“Eat a pound of salt for two” - about the fact that you need to spend a lot of time with a person in order to get to know him from all sides.

“The spool is small, but expensive” - it’s not the size that matters.

“Find out what a pound is worth” - feel the weight of grief and suffering.

“Two inches from the pot, and already a pointer” is about young people who do not have their own life experience, but are trying to teach others about life.

“Measure by your own yardstick” - use your personal measure, and not the generally accepted one, be subjective.

“Seven miles is not a detour for a good fellow” - about the fact that a real man can do anything and distance is not a problem for him.

“Seven spans in the forehead” - this is what they said about wise and well-read people.

The paucity of modern measured quantities

The table below of modern measures and volumes shows how much all quantities have been crushed and simplified.

The zest of the national language and the variety of variants disappeared; the desire to systematize everything and drive the “Russian soul” into a framework defeated the creative flight of the great and powerful language. All that remains are the “costs of the past” - magnificent proverbs that still retain their lost greatness.

“Every merchant measures with his own yardstick”- everyone judges any matter one-sidedly, based on their own interests.

“He sits and walks as if he could swallow a yardstick.”- about an unnaturally straight person

“He found out what a pound is worth”, - this is what they say about a person who has suffered a lot of adversity.

“An arshin’s worth of beard, but an inch’s worth of intelligence”- about an adult, but stupid person.

“Oblique fathoms in the shoulders”- broad-shouldered, tall man.

“He sees three arshins into the ground”- an attentive, perspicacious person, from whom nothing can be hidden.

“Log to log - fathom”- about the accumulation of reserves and wealth through savings.

Since ancient times, the measure of length and weight has always been a person: how far he can stretch his arm, how much he can lift on his shoulders, etc.

The system of Old Russian measures of length included the following basic measures: verst, fathom, arshin, elbow, span and vershok.

ARSHIN is an ancient Russian measure of length, equal, in modern terms, to 0.7112 m. Arshin was also the name given to a measuring ruler, on which divisions in vershoks were usually applied.

There are different versions of the origin of the arshin measure of length. Perhaps, initially, “arshin” denoted the length of a human step (about seventy centimeters, with normal walking on the plain, at an average pace) and was the base value for others major measures determining lengths, distances(fathom, verst). The root "AR" in the word a rsh i n - in the Old Russian language (and in other neighboring peoples) means "EARTH", "surface of the earth", "furrow" and indicates that this measure could be used in determining the length distance traveled on foot. There was another name for this measure - STEP. In practice, the count could be made in pairs steps of an adult, of normal build ("small<простыми>fathoms"; one-two - one, one-two - two, one-two - three...), or in threes(“official fathoms”; one-two-three - one, one-two-three - two...), and when measuring small distances in steps, step-by-step counting was used. Subsequently, they also began to use, under this name, an equal value - the length of the arm.

For small measures of length the basic value was the measure used from time immemorial in Rus' - “span” (from the 17th century - a length equal to a span was called differently - “quarter arshin”, “quarter”, “chet”), from which, by eye, it was easy to get smaller shares - two vershok (1/2 span) or vershok (1/4 span).

Merchants, when selling goods, as a rule, measured it with their arshin (ruler) or quickly - measuring “from the shoulder”. To exclude measurements, the authorities introduced, as a standard, the “official yardstick,” which is a wooden ruler with metal tips with a state mark riveted at the ends.

STEP - average human step length = 71 cm. One of ancient measures length.

PYAD (pyatnitsa) is an ancient Russian measure of length. SMALL SPAN (they said - "span"; since the 17th century it was called - "quarter"<аршина>) - the distance between the ends of the spread thumb and index (or middle) fingers = 17.78 cm.
BIG SPAN - the distance between the ends of the thumb and little finger (22-23 cm).
SPAND WITH A TUMPLER ("span with a somersault", according to Dahl - "span with a somersault" s rkoy") - a span with the addition of two joints of the index club = 27-31 cm

Our old icon painters measured the size of icons in spans: “nine icons - seven spans (1 3/4 arshins). The Most Pure Tikhvin on gold is a pyadnitsa (4 vershoks). Icon of St. George the Great deeds of four spans (1 arshin)"

VERSTA is an old Russian travel measure (its early name was “field”). This word originally referred to the distance traveled from one turn of the plow to another during plowing. The two names have long been used in parallel, as synonyms. There are known mentions in written sources of the 11th century. In manuscripts of the 15th century. there is an entry: “field of 7 hundred and 50 fathoms” (750 fathoms long). Before Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, 1 verst was considered 1000 fathoms. Under Peter the Great, one verst was equal to 500 fathoms, in modern terms - 213.36 X 500 = 1066.8 m.
"Verstoy" was also called a milestone on the road.

The size of the verst changed repeatedly depending on the number of fathoms included in it and the size of the fathom. The Code of 1649 established a “boundary mile” of 1 thousand fathoms. Later, in the 18th century, along with it, a “travel mile” of 500 fathoms (“five hundredth mile”) began to be used.

Mezhevaya Versta is an old Russian unit of measurement equal to two versts. A verst of 1000 fathoms (2.16 km) was widely used as a boundary measure, usually when determining pastures around large cities, and on the outskirts of Russia, especially in Siberia, and to measure distances between populated areas.

The 500-fathom verst was used somewhat less frequently, mainly for measuring distances in the European part of Russia. Long distances, especially in Eastern Siberia, were determined in days of travel. In the 18th century boundary versts are gradually being replaced by travel ones, and the only verst in the 19th century. there remains a “travel” mileage equal to 500 fathoms.

SAZHEN is one of the most common length measures in Rus'. There were more than ten fathoms of different purposes (and, accordingly, size). “Makhovaya fathom” is the distance between the ends of the fingers of an adult man’s widely spaced hands. “Oblique fathom” is the longest: the distance from the toe of the left foot to the end of the middle finger of the raised right hand. Used in the phrase: “he has slanting fathoms in his shoulders” (meaning - hero, giant)
This ancient measure of length was mentioned by Nestor in 1017. The name sazhen comes from the verb to reach (reach) - as far as one could reach with one’s hand. To determine the meaning of the Old Russian fathom, a major role was played by the discovery of a stone on which the inscription was carved in Slavic letters: " In the summer of 6576 (1068) indictment 6 days, Prince Gleb measured... 10,000 and 4,000 fathoms". From a comparison of this result with the measurements of topographers, a fathom value of 151.4 cm was obtained. The results of measurements of churches and the meaning of Russian folk measures coincided with this value. There were fathom measuring ropes and wooden “folds” that were used in measuring distances in construction and land surveying land.

According to historians and architects, there were more than 10 fathoms and they had their own names, were incommensurable and not multiples of one another. Fathoms: city - 284.8 cm, untitled - 258.4 cm, great - 244.0 cm, Greek - 230.4 cm, state - 217.6 cm, royal - 197.4 cm, church - 186.4 cm, folk - 176.0 cm, masonry - 159.7 cm, simple - 150.8 cm, small - 142.4 cm and another one without a name - 134.5 cm (data from one source), as well as - courtyard, pavement.

FLY FATTH - the distance between the ends of the middle fingers of arms outstretched to the sides is 1.76 m.

OBLIQUE SAZHEN (originally “oblique”) - 2.48 m.

Fathoms were used before the introduction of the metric system of measures.

ELBOW was equal to the length of the arm from the fingers to the elbow (according to other sources - “the distance in a straight line from the elbow to the end of the extended middle finger of the hand”). The value of this ancient measure of length, according to different sources, ranged from 38 to 47 cm. Since the 16th century, it was gradually replaced by the arshin and in the 19th century it was almost not used.

Elbow is a native ancient Russian measure of length, known already in the 11th century. The value of the Old Russian cubit of 10.25-10.5 vershoks (on average approximately 46-47 cm) was obtained from a comparison of measurements in the Jerusalem Temple made by Abbot Daniel, and later measurements of the same dimensions in an exact copy of this temple - in the main temple of the New Jerusalem Monastery on the Istra River (XVII century). The cubit was widely used in trade as a particularly convenient measure. In the retail trade of canvas, cloth, and linen, the elbow was the main measure. In large wholesale trade, linen, cloth, etc., were supplied in the form of large pieces - “postavs”, the length of which at different times and in different places ranged from 30 to 60 cubits (in places of trade these measures had a specific, well-defined meaning)

VERSHOK equaled 1/16 of an arshin, 1/4 of a quarter. In modern terms - 4.44 cm. The name "Vershok" comes from the word "top". In the literature of the 17th century. There are also fractions of an inch - half an inch and a quarter inch.

When determining the height of a person or animal, counting was carried out after two arshins (mandatory for a normal adult): if it was said that the person being measured was 15 vershoks in height, then this meant that he was 2 arshins 15 vershoks, i.e. 209 cm.

Growth in Vershki	1	3	5	7	9	10	15
Height in meters	1,47	1,56	1,65	1,73	1,82	1,87	2,09

For humans, two methods of fully expressing height have been used:
1 - combination of “height *** elbows, *** spans”
2 - combination “height *** arshin, *** vershoks”
from the 18th century - "*** feet, *** inches"

For small domestic animals they used - “height *** inches”

For trees - “height *** arshins”

Length measures(used in Russia after the “Decree” of 1835 and before the introduction of the metric system):

1 verst = 500 fathoms = 50 poles = 10 chains = 1.0668 kilometers

1 fathom = 3 arshins = 7 feet = 48 vershoks = 2.1336 meters

Oblique fathom = 2.48 m.
Mach fathom = 1.76 m.

1 arshin = 4 quarters (spans) = 16 vershok = 28 inches = 71.12 cm
(divisions in vertices were usually applied to arshins)

1 cubit = 44 cm (according to various sources from 38 to 47 cm)

1 foot = 1/7 fathom = 12 inches = 30.479 cm

1 quarter <четверть аршина> (span, small pip, pyady, pyady, pyaden, pyadka) = 4 inches = 17.78 cm(or 19 cm - according to B.A. Rybakov)
The name p i d comes from the Old Russian word “metacarpus”, i.e. wrist. One of the oldest measures of length (since the 17th century, “span” was replaced by “quarter arshin”)
Synonym for "quarter" - "chet"

Large span = 1/2 cubit = 22-23 cm - the distance between the ends of the extended thumb and middle (or little) finger.

A “span with somersault” is equal to a small span plus two or three joints of the index or middle finger = 27 - 31 cm.

1 vershok = 4 nails (width - 1.1 cm) = 1/4 span = 1/16 arshin = 4.445 centimeters
- an ancient Russian measure of length equal to the width of two fingers (index and middle).

1 finger ~ 2 cm.

New measures (introduced since the 18th century):

1 inch = 10 lines = 2.54 cm
The name comes from Dutch - "thumb". Equal to the width of your thumb or the length of three dry grains of barley taken from the middle part of the ear.

1 line = 10 points = 1/10 inch = 2.54 millimeters (example: Mosin’s “three-ruler” - d = 7.62 mm.)
The line is the width of a wheat grain, approximately 2.54 mm.

1 hundredth fathom = 2.134 cm

1 point = 0.2540 millimeters

1 geographical mile (1/15 degree of the earth's equator) = 7 versts = 7.42 km
(from the Latin word "milia" - a thousand (steps))

1 nautical mile (1 minute of arc of the earth's meridian) = 1.852 km

1 English mile= 1.609 km

1 yard = 91.44 centimeters

In the second half of the 17th century, the arshin was used together with the vershok in various branches of production. In the “Description Books” of the Armory Chamber of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (1668) it is written: “... a copper regimental cannon, smooth, nicknamed Kashpir, Moscow made, length three arshins and a half-eleven vershok (10.5 vershok) ... Large cast iron archina, Iron lion, with belts, length three arshins, three quarters and a half inch." The ancient Russian measure “elbow” continued to be used in everyday life for measuring cloth, linen and woolen fabrics. As follows from the Trade Book, three cubits are equivalent to two arshins. The span as an ancient measure of length still continued to exist, but since its meaning changed, due to agreement with a quarter of the arshin, this name (span) gradually fell out of use. The span was replaced by a quarter arshin.

From the second half of the 18th century, the divisions of the vershok, in connection with the reduction of the arshin and sazhen to a multiple ratio with English measures, were replaced by small English measures: inch, line and point, but only the inch took root. Lines and dots were used relatively little. The lines expressed the dimensions of lamp glasses and the calibers of guns (for example, ten- or 20-line glass, known in everyday life). The dots were used only to determine the sizes of gold and silver coins. In mechanics and mechanical engineering, the inch was divided into 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 parts.

In construction and engineering, dividing fathoms into 100 parts was widely used.

The foot and inch used in Russia are equal in size to English measures.

The decree of 1835 determined the relationship between Russian measures and English ones:
Fathom = 7 feet
Arshin = 28 inches
A number of units of measurement (verst divisions) were abolished, and new measures of length came into use: inch, line, point, borrowed from English measures.

Volume measures

Bucket

The main Russian premetric measure of the volume of liquids is bucket= 1/40 barrel = 10 mugs = 30 pounds of water = 20 vodka bottles (0.6) = 16 wine bottles (0.75) = 100 glasses = 200 scales = 12 liters(15 l - according to other sources, rare) V. - iron, wooden or leather utensils, mostly cylindrical in shape, with ears or a bow for carrying. In everyday life, two buckets on a rocker should be “fit for a woman.” Division into smaller measures was carried out according to the binary principle: the bucket was divided into 2 half-buckets or 4 quarters of a bucket or 8 half-quarters, as well as into mugs and cups.

Before mid-17th century V. the bucket contained 12 mugs; in the second half of the 17th century. the so-called government bucket contained 10 mugs, and a mug contained 10 cups, so the bucket contained 100 cups. Then, according to the decree of 1652, the glasses were made three times larger than before (“three glasses of glasses”). The sales bucket held 8 mugs. The value of the bucket was variable, but the value of the mug was constant, 3 pounds of water (1228.5 grams). The volume of the bucket was 134.297 cubic inches.

Barrel

The barrel, as a measure of liquids, was used mainly in the process of trade with foreigners, who were prohibited from conducting retail trade in wine in small quantities. Equal to 40 buckets (492 l)

The material for making the barrel was chosen depending on its purpose:
oak - for beer and vegetable oils,
spruce - under water,
linden - for milk and honey.

Most often, small barrels and kegs from 5 to 120 liters were used in peasant life. Large barrels could hold up to forty buckets (forty)

Barrels were also used for washing (beating) linen.

In the 15th century ancient measures were still common - golovazhnya, bow And cleaning. In the XVI-XVII centuries. along with quite common box And belly Vyatka grain measure is often found marten, Perm sapsa(measure of salt and bread), old Russian bast And sewing. Vyatskaya marten was considered equal three Moscow quarters, sapsa accommodated 6 pounds of salt and approximately 3 pounds of rye, bast - 5 pounds of salt, sewing- near 15 pounds of salt.

Household measures of the volume of liquids were very diverse and were widely used even at the end of the 17th century: Smolensk barrel, bocha-selyodovka (8 pounds of herring; one and a half times less than Smolensk).

Measuring barrel "... from edge to edge one and a half arshins, and across - an arshin, and to measure up, like a leader, half an arshin."

In everyday life and in trade they used a variety of household vessels: cauldrons, jugs, pots, bratins, valleys. The significance of such household measures varied in different places: for example, the capacity of boilers ranged from half a bucket to 20 buckets. In the 17th century a system of cubic units based on the 7-foot fathom was introduced, and the term cubic (or "cubic") was also introduced. A cubic fathom contained 27 cubic arshins or 343 cubic feet; cubic arshin - 4096 cubic vershoks or 21952 cubic inches.

Wine measures

The Wine Charter of 1781 established that every drinking establishment should have “measures certified in the Treasury Chamber.”

Bucket- Russian premetric measure of the volume of liquids, equal to 12 liters

Quarter<четвёртая часть ведра>= 3 liters (previously it was a narrow-necked glass bottle)

Measure" bottle"appeared in Russia under Peter I.
Russian bottle = 1/20 of a bucket = 1/2 of a shtof = 5 glasses = 0.6 liters (the half-liter appeared later - in the twenties of the 20th century)

Since the bucket held 20 bottles (2 0 * 0.6 = 12 liters), and in trade the bill was on buckets, the box, according to established tradition, still holds 20 bottles.

For wine, the Russian bottle was larger - 0.75 liters.

In Russia, glass production began in a factory way in 1635. The release dated back to the same time. glass vessels. The first domestic bottle was produced at the plant, which was built on the territory of the modern Istra station near Moscow, and the products were, at first, intended exclusively for pharmacists, with their mixtures.

Abroad, a standard bottle holds one-sixth of a gallon - in different countries this ranges from 0.63 to 0.76 liters

A flat bottle is called a flask.

Shtof (from German Stof) = 1/10 of a bucket = 10 glasses = 1.23 liters. Appeared under Peter I. Served as a measure of the volume of all alcoholic drinks. The shape of the damask was like a quarter.

Mug(the word means “for drinking in a circle”) = 10 glasses = 1.23 l.

Modern faceted glass was previously called "doskan" ("planed boards"), consisting of fret-boards tied with rope around a wooden bottom.

Charka (Russian measure of liquid) = 1/10 shtofa = 2 scales = 0.123 l.

Stack= 1/6 bottle = 100 grams It was considered the size of a single dose.

Shkalik (popular name - “kosushka”, from the word “mow”, according to the characteristic movement of the hand) = 1/2 cup = 0.06 l.

Quarter (half a scale or 1/16th of a bottle) = 37.5 grams.

Barrelware (that is, for liquid and bulk products) was distinguished by a variety of names depending on the place of production (baklazhka, baklusha, barrels), size and volume - badia, pudovka, sorokovka), its main purpose (resin, salt, wine, tar) and the wood used for their manufacture (oak, pine, linden, aspen). Finished cooperage products were divided into buckets, tubs, vats, kegs and casks.

Endova
Wooden or metal utensils (often decorated with ornaments) used for serving drinks. It was a low bowl with a spout. The metal valley was made of copper or brass. Wooden valleys were made from aspen, linden or birch.

Leather bag (skin) - up to 60 l

Korchaga - 12 l
Nozzle - 2.5 buckets (Nogorod liquid measure, 15th century)
Ladle
Zhban

Tub - vessel height - 30-35 centimeters, diameter - 40 centimeters, volume - 2 buckets or 22-25 liters

Krynki
Sudenci, misa
Tuesa

The oldest (first?) “international” measure of volume is g o r st (palm with fingers folded into a boat). A large (kind, good) handful - folded so that it holds a larger volume. A handful is two palms joined together.

Box - from whole pieces bast, sewn with strips of bast. The bottom and top cover are made of boards. Sizes - from small boxes to large chests of drawers

Balakir is a dugout wooden vessel, 1/4-1/5 in volume, a bucket.

As a rule, in the central and western parts of Russia, measuring containers for storing milk were proportional to the daily needs of the family and represented a variety of clay pots, pots, milk bowls, jars, jugs, throats, milking bowls, birch bark with lids, tubs, the capacity of which was approximately 1/4-1/2 of a bucket (about 3-5 liters). The containers of makhotok, stavtsy, tuesk, in which fermented milk products were kept - sour cream, yogurt and cream, approximately corresponded to 1/8 of a bucket.

Kvass was prepared for the whole family in vats, tubs, barrels and tubs (lagushki, izhemki, etc.) with a capacity of up to 20 buckets, and for a wedding - for 40 or more poods. In drinking establishments in Russia, kvass was usually served in kvass pots, decanters and jugs, the capacity of which varied in different areas from 1/8-1/16 to about 1/3-1/4 of a bucket. The commercial measure of kvass in the central regions of Russia was a large clay (drinking) glass and jug.

Under Ivan the Terrible, eagle-shaped (branded with the sign of an eagle), that is, standardized drinking measures: bucket, octagon, half-octagon, stop and mug, first appeared in Russia. Despite the fact that valleys, ladles, staves, stacks remained in use, and for small sales - hooks (cups with a long hook at the end instead of a handle, hanging along the edges of the valley).

In Old Russian measures and in vessels used for drinking, the principle of volume ratio is 1: 2: 4: 8: 16.

Ancient volume measures:

1 cu. fathom = 9.713 cubic meters meters

1 cu. arshin = 0.3597 cubic meters meters

1 cu. vershok = 87.82 cubic meters. cm

1 cu. ft = 28.32 cu. decimeter (liter)

1 cu. inch = 16.39 cu. cm

1 cu. line = 16.39 cu. mm

1 quart is a little more than a liter.

In trade practice and in everyday life, according to L.F. Magnitsky, the following measures of bulk solids were used for a long time (" grain measures"):
flipper - 12 quarters
quarter (chet) - 1/4 part of cadi
ocmina (octah - eighth part)

Kad (tub, shackle, looks like a small barrel / keg) = 20 buckets or more
"Big tub" - bigger tub

Tsybik - box (of tea) = from 40 to 80 pounds (by weight).
Details: The tea was tightly kneaded in wooden boxes, "tsibiki" - covered in leather frames, in the shape of a square (two feet on a side), braided on the outside with reeds in two or three layers, which could be carried by two people. In Siberia, such a box of tea was called Umesta (“Place” is a possible option).

Polosmina
quadruple

Liquid measures ("wine measures"):

Barrel (40 buckets)
cauldron (from half a bucket to 20 buckets)
bucket
half a bucket
quarter bucket
osmukha (1/8)
crumb (1/16 bucket)

Measures of volume of liquid and granular bodies:

1 quarter = 2.099 hectoliters = 209.9 l

1 garnets = 3.280 liters

Weights

In Rus', the following weight measures (Old Russian) were used in trade:
. Berkovets = 10 poods
. pud = 40 pounds = 16.38 kg
. pound (hryvnia) = 96 spools = 0.41 kg
. lot = 3 spools = 12.797 g
. spool = 4.27 g
. fraction = 0.044 g
...

The hryvnia (later pound) remained unchanged. The word "hryvnia" was used to designate both a weight and a monetary unit. This is the most common measure of weight in retail and craft applications. It was also used for weighing metals, in particular gold and silver.

BERKOVETS - this large measure of weight was used in wholesale trade mainly for weighing wax, honey, etc.
Berkovets - from the name of the island of Bjerk. This is what was called in Rus' a measure of weight of 10 pounds, just a standard barrel of wax, which one person could roll onto a merchant boat sailing to this very island. (163.8 kg).
There is a known mention of Berkovets in the 12th century in the charter of Prince Vsevolod Gabriel Mstislavich to the Novgorod merchants.

The spool was equal to 1/96 of a pound, in modern terms 4.26 g. They said about it: “the spool is small and expensive.” This word originally meant a gold coin.

POUND (from the Latin word “pondus” - weight, weight) was equal to 32 lots, 96 spools, 1/40 pood, in modern terms 409.50 g. Used in combinations: “not a pound of raisins”, “find out how much a pound of raisins is”.
The Russian pound was adopted under Alexei Mikhailovich.

Sugar was sold by the pound.

They bought tea with gold coins. Spool = 4.266g.

Until recently, a small pack of tea, weighing 50 grams, was called “octam” (1/8 pound)

LOT is an old Russian unit of mass measurement equal to three spools or 12.797 grams.

SHARE is the smallest old Russian unit of mass measurement, equal to 1/96 of a spool or 0.044 grams.

PUD was equal to 40 pounds, in modern terms - 16.38 kg. It was already used in the 12th century.
Pud - (from the Latin pondus - weight, heaviness) is not only a measure of weight, but also a weighing device. When weighing metals, the pud was both a unit of measurement and a unit of counting. Even when the results of weighings were reported to tens and hundreds of poods, they were not transferred to Berkovites. Back in the XI-XII centuries. they used various scales with equal-armed and unequal-armed beams: “pud” - a type of scale with a variable fulcrum and a fixed weight, “skalvy” - equal-armed scales (two-cup).

The pud, as a unit of mass, was abolished in the USSR in 1924.

Measures of weight used in Russia in the 18th century:

Weights	Value in spools	Derivatives quantities	Value in grams	In kilograms	Note
Berkovets	38400	10 pounds 400 hryvnia (pounds) 800 hryvnia	163800	163,8
Flipper		72 pounds		1179 (1 ton)
Kad		14 pounds		230
Kongar (Kontar)	9600	2.5 pounds	40950	40,95
Pud	3840	40 pounds	16380	16,38 (0.1638 quintal)
Half a pound	1920		8190	8,19
Steelyard	240	2.5 hryvnia	1022	1,022 (1,024)
Half-badman	120		511	0,511
Ansyr	128		546	0,546
Large hryvnia (hryvnia) Lb trade	96	32 lots 1/40 pood	409,5	0,4095
Pound apothecary- skiy			307,3		according to other sources - 358.8g
Libra	72	72 spools	307,1	0,3071
Small hryvnia (grivenka)	48	1200 buds 4800 pies	204,8	0,2048
Half-grill wreath	24		102,4	0,1024
Lot	3	3 spools	12,797		Old Russian unit of mass measurement
Spool	1	96 shares 25 kidneys 1/96 lb	4,266		Old Russian unit of mass measurement; The spool was used to weigh small but expensive goods. A measure of the volume of bulk solids - how many of them will fit on the plane of a raised coin
Scrupul (pharmacist) skiy)		20 grains	1.24 grams		ancient unit of apothecary weight
Bud			171 milligram
Gran (pharmacist) skiy)			0.062 grams		used in old Russian pharmaceutical practice
Share	1/96		0.044 grams 44.43 mg
Pie			43 milligram

Note: the weights most commonly used at that time (18th century) are highlighted in font.

Area measures

The main measure of area was considered to be a tithe, as well as shares of a tithe: half a tithe, a quarter (a quarter was 40 fathoms of length and 30 fathoms of latitude) and so on. Land surveyors used (especially after the “Cathedral Code” of 1649) mainly the official three-arshine fathom, equal to 2.1336 m, so a tithe of 2400 square fathoms was equal to approximately 1.093 hectares.

The scale of use of tithes and quarters grew in accordance with the development of land and the increase in the territory of the state. However, already in the first half of the 16th century it became clear that when measuring lands in quarters, the general inventory of lands would take many years. And then, in the 40s of the 16th century, one of the most enlightened people, Ermolai Erasmus, proposed using a larger unit - a tetrahedral field, which meant a square area with a side of 1000 fathoms. This proposal was not accepted, but played a role in the process of introduction big plow. Ermolai Erasmus is one of the first theoretical metrologists, who also sought to combine the solution of metrological and social issues. When determining the areas of hayfields, tithes were introduced with great difficulty because the lands were inconvenient for measurement due to their location and irregular shapes. The most commonly used yield measure was shock. Gradually, this measure acquired a meaning linked to the tithe, and was divided into 2 half-shocks, 4 quarter-shocks, 8 half-quarters of a hay, etc. Over time, a haystack, as a measure of area, was equated to 0.1 tithes (i.e., it was believed that, on average, 10 copecks of hay were taken from a tithe). Labor and sowing measures were expressed through a geometric measure - tithe.

Area measures surfaces:

1 sq. verst = 250,000 square fathoms = 1.138 sq. kilometers

1 tithe = 2400 square fathoms = 1.093 hectares

1 kopn = 0.1 tithe

1 sq. fathom = 16 square arshins = 4.552 sq. meters

1 sq. arshin=0.5058 sq. meters

1 sq. vershok=19.76 sq. cm

1 sq. ft=9.29 sq. inches=0.0929 sq. m

1 sq. inch=6.452 sq. centimeter

1 sq. line=6.452 sq. millimeters

Units of measurement in Rus' in the 18th century

TO XVIII century there were up to 400 units of measures of different sizes used in different countries. The variety of measures made trading operations difficult. Therefore, each state sought to establish uniform measures for its country.

In Russia, back in the 16th and 17th centuries, uniform systems of measures were defined for the entire country. In the 18th century in connection with economic development and the need for strict accounting in foreign trade, in Russia the question arose of the accuracy of measurements, the creation of standards on the basis of which verification work ("metrology") could be organized.

The question of choosing standards from the many existing ones (both domestic and overseas) turned out to be difficult. In the middle of the 18th century. foreign coins and precious metals were weighed at customs upon arrival, and then reweighed repeatedly at the mints; At the same time, the weight turned out to be different.

By the mid-30s of the 18th century. There was an opinion that, more precisely, the scales at the St. Petersburg customs office. It was decided to make model scales from those customs scales, place them under the Senate and carry out verification using them.

A ruler that previously belonged to Peter I served as an example of a measure of length when determining the size of an arshin and a sazhen. The ruler was marked with a half-arshin. Using this half-arshin measure, samples of length measures were made - a copper arshin and a wooden fathom.

Among the measures of bulk solids received by the Commission, the quadrangle of the Moscow Big Customs was selected, according to which the measurements of bulk solids in other cities were verified.

The basis for liquid measurements was a bucket sent from the Kamennomostsky drinking yard in Moscow.

In 1736, the Senate decided to form a Commission of Weights and Measures, headed by the chief director of the Monetary Board, Count Mikhail Gavrilovich Golovkin. The commission created exemplary measures- standards, the relationship of various measures to each other has been established, a project for organizing verification work in the country has been developed. A project was introduced on the decimal construction of measures, taking into account the fact that the Russian monetary account system was built on the decimal principle.

Having decided on the starting units of measures, the Commission began to establish connections between different units measurements using length measures. Determine the volume of the bucket and quadrangle. The volume of the bucket was 136.297 cubic vershok, and the volume of the four-piece was 286.421 cubic vershok. The result of the work of the Commission was the “Regulations...”

According to the arshin, the value of which was determined by the Commission of 1736-1742, it was recommended in 1745 to produce arshins “in the entire Russian state.” In accordance with the volume of the quadrangle adopted by the Commission, in the second half of the 18th century. Quadruples, half-octagons and octagons were made.

Under Paul I, by decree of April 29, 1797 on the “Establishment of correct scales, drinking and grain measures throughout the Russian Empire,” a lot of work began on streamlining measures and weights. Its completion dates back to the 30s of the 19th century. The decree of 1797 was drawn up in the form of desirable recommendations. The decree concerned four issues of measurement: weighing instruments, weight measures, measures of liquid and granular bodies. Both the weighing instruments and all the measures had to be replaced, for which it was planned to cast cast iron measures.

By 1807, three arshin standards were made (stored in St. Petersburg): crystal, steel and copper. The basis for determining their value was the reduction of arshin and fathom to a multiple ratio with English. measures - in fathoms 7 English feet, in arshins - 28 English. inches. The standards were approved by Alexander I and transferred for storage to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 52 copper tetrahedral arshins were made to be sent to each province. It is interesting that before this, the saying: “Measure by your own yardstick” literally corresponded to reality. Sellers measured the length of the fabric with a yardstick - using a drawbar from their shoulder.

On July 10, 1810, the State Council of Russia decided to introduce a single measure of length throughout the country - the standard 16 vershok arshin (71.12 cm). The state-branded yardstick, priced at 1 silver ruble, was ordered to be introduced in all provinces, with the simultaneous withdrawal of old yardstick templates.

Stage

Stage [Greek. stadion - stages (measure of length)] - this ancient measure of distances is more than two thousand years old (from it - Stadium in other Greece; Greek stadion - place for competitions). Magnitude stages- about two hundred meters. " ...right opposite the city<Александрии>lay the island of Pharos, at the northern tip of which stood the famous lighthouse of the same name, built of white marble, connected to the city by a long pier called the septastadium (7 stadia)" (F.A. Brockhaus, I.A. Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary)

Ancient measures in modern language

In modern Russian, ancient units of measurement and words denoting them have been preserved mainly in the form of proverbs and sayings

Sayings:

"You write in arshins

and letters" - large

"Kolomenskaya Versta" is a humorous name for a very tall person.

"Oblique fathoms in the shoulders" - broad-shouldered

in poetry:

You can’t understand Russia with your mind, you can’t measure it with a common (official) yardstick. Tyutchev

Dictionary

Currency units

Quarter = 25 rubles
gold coin= 5 or 10 rubles
Ruble = 2 half rubles = 100 kopecks
Tselkovy is the colloquial name for the metal ruble.
Fifty, fifty kopecks = 50 kopecks
Quarter = 25 kopecks
Two-kopeck = 20 kopecks.
Five-altyn = 15 kopecks
Pyatak = 5 kopecks.
Altyn = 3 kopecks
Dime = 10 kopecks
kidney = 1 half
2 money = 1 kopeck
1/2 copper money (half a coin) = 1 kopeck.
Grosh (copper penny) = 2 kopecks.

Polushka (otherwise half money) was equivalent to a quarter of a penny. This is the smallest unit in the ancient money account. Since 1700, half coins have been minted from copper.

The modern penny (the one that saves the ruble), gradually going out of circulation due to inflation of money, becomes an antique.

Foreign names:

English, traditional "beer pint" - 0.56826 l.
Eighth of a pound = 1/8 pound
Fluid ounce (US) - 30 milliliters.
Gallon English - 4.546 l
Barrel - 159 liters
Carat - 0.2 g, weight of wheat grain
Ounce avoirdupois - 28.35 g
English pound - 0.45359 kg
1 stone = 14 pounds = 6.35 kilograms
1 small handweight = 100 pounds = 45.36 kg.

Whale. measures: 1 li = 576 m, 1 liang = 37.3 g, 1 fen = 1/10 cun = 0.32 cm - in zhenjiu therapy.
individual size = approximately 2.5 cm

In Tibetan medicine: 1 lan = 36 grams, 1<с/ц>en = 3.6 g., 1<п/ф>un = 0.36g.

An ounce (translated from Latin uncia - a twelfth part, of a whole, by weight, length or volume), before the introduction of the metric system of measures, was the most common unit of weight in the world (approximately thirty grams). Continues to be used in countries where weight is measured in pounds. A modern troy ounce, equal to 31.1 grams, is used when trading gold and other precious metals.
Read more on the Wikipedia website

Foot (English foot) - 30.48 centimeters.
Yard -91.44 cm.
Nautical mile - 1852 m
1 cable - tenth of a mile
Rhumb - 11 1/4° = 1/32 fraction of a circle - unit of angular measure

Sea knot (speed) = 1 mph
// according to the old method of measurement, corresponds to the number of feet (they were tied in knots) of the measuring cable per minute.

Ancient Russian quantities:
Quarter - quarter, quarter
"a quarter of wine" = a fourth of a bucket.
"quadruple grain" = 1/4 cady
kad - an old Russian measure of bulk solids (usually four pounds)
Osmina, osmukha - eighth (eighth) part = 1/8
An eighth of a pound was called osmushka ("octam of tea").
"a quarter to eight" - time = 7:45 am or pm
Five - five units of weight or length
A ream is a measure of paper, formerly equal to 480 sheets; later - 1000 sheets
"one hundred and eighty osmago November day of osmago" - 188 November eighth
Pregnancy is a burden, an armful, as much as you can wrap your arms around.
Half a third - two and a half
Half a point = 4.5
Half elevenths = 10.5
Half a hundred and two hundred and fifty.
Field - "arena, lists" (115 steps - a variant of the magnitude), later - the first name and synonym for "verst" (field - million - mile), Dahl has a variant meaning of this word: "daily march, about 20 versts"<"успев до ночёвки">
“Printed fathom” - official (standard, with a state stamp), measured, three arshins
A cut is an amount of material in a single piece of fabric sufficient to make any clothing (for example, a shirt)
“No estimate” - no number.
Perfect, perfect - suitable, to match.

Completed by students - 5th grade MBOU "Pochaevskaya Secondary School" Vorobyov Yaroslav Andreevich Nikulin Dmitry Yuryevich Scientific supervisor - Nikulina Natalya Ivanovna

THIS WORK PRESENTS RESEARCH RELATED TO ANCIENT RUSSIAN LENGTH MEASURES

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Research

Ancient Russian measures of length

Completed by students -

5th grade MBOU "Pochaev Secondary School"

Vorobyov Yaroslav Andreevich

Nikulin Dmitry Yurievich

Scientific director -

Nikulina Natalya Ivanovna

Grayvoron, 2012

Introduction

"Science begins where they begin to measure."
D.I.Mendeleev

In distant historical times, a person had to gradually comprehend not only the art of counting, but also measurement. When our ancestor - ancient, but already thinking, tried to find a cave for himself, he was forced to measure the length, width and height of his future shelter with his own height. But this is what measurement is. When making the simplest tools, building houses, getting food, the need arises to measure distances. Many of the units of length used by our ancestors are measurements various parts human body. A person always carries them with him and can use them in any conditions.

We became interested in what measures of length existed in Rus', and why now Russia uses such a measure of length as a meter.How and where these measures are found in Russian folklore and in life. That's why we chose this topic.

Relevance: The question of the significance of units of measurement is always relevant, since metrology is always the focus of human activity.

Subject: "Ancient Russian measures of length."

Object of study:History of the development of ancient Russian measures of length.

Subject of study:Ancient Russian measures of length

Target: trace the history of the emergence of measures of length in Rus', their improvement from the time of the formation of Rus' to the present day.

Tasks:

1) Get acquainted with the measuring system that existed previously.

2) Establish the relationship between the old measuring system and the new one.

3) Trace the reflection of old measures in Russian folklore.

4) Invite students in my class to solve problems with ancient Russian measures of length.

5) Find out whether the residents of the village of Pochaevo currently know and use ancient measures of length?

Measures of length in Ancient Rus' (XI-first half of the XV century)

The system of Old Russian measures of length included the following basic measures: verst, fathom, elbow, span.

Span - one of the oldest measures of length: from the Old Russian word metacarpus - fist or five - hand. It is convenient because everyone always carries it with them. After all, a span is the distance between the outstretched fingers of the hand. A span was one quarter of an arshin. Therefore, its second name is quarter.

Small span - the distance between the ends of the elongated large and index finger hands. The length of the small span is approximately 19 cm.

Great span - the distance from the end of the extended little finger to the end of the thumb, its length is 22-23 cm.

Elbow - the oldest measure of length, which was used by many peoples of the world. This is the distance from the end of the extended middle finger or clenched fist to the bend of the elbow. This length ranged from 38 to 46 cm. It has been used as a measure of length in Rus' since the 11th century.For the first time, the cubit as a measure of length is mentioned in the “Russian Truth” of Yaroslav the Wise: “the bridge worker, having laid the bridge, take from the work, from ten Lakota Nogat.” In the retail trade of canvas, cloth, and linen, the cubit was the main measure.

Fathom - found in chronicles from the 11th century, compiled by the Kyiv monk Nester. Fathom- Russian measure of length. According to the documents medieval Rus' there were fathoms: oblique, straight, simple, courtyard and shop, fly, large, or great, printed, “scribe, with which to measure the earth.” In the 18th century, the measures were refined; Peter I, by decree, established the equality of a three-arshine fathom to seven English feet: fathom = 3 arshins = 7 feet (= 2.13 m).

Verst - from the word twirl. Initially, the distance from one turn of the plow to another during plowing. The length of the verst is 1060 m. The verst, as a measure of length, has been found in Rus' since the 11th century.

Boundary mile - existed in Rus' until the 18th century to determine the distance between settlements and for land surveying. The length of such a mile is 1000 fathoms, or 2.13 km.

Later, under Peter I, a verst measuring 500 fathoms in length was introduced; it was at this distance from each other that pillars were placed along the roads. IN early XIX V. Black and white striped poles appeared along the main roads of Russia. Hence the name - high road. From the second half of the 19th century on all pillars placed along railway from St. Petersburg to Moscow, distances began to be indicated in versts. The verst, 500 fathoms long, as a measure of length, was preserved in Russia until the introduction of the metric system.

Measures of length in the Moscow state (XV-XVII centuries)

In the XV-XVII centuries. new measures of length appeared - arshin , which over time replaced the elbow, and inch . Two meanings of verst were officially legalized.

A verst of 1000 fathoms (2.16 km) was widely used as a boundary measure, and on the outskirts of Russia, especially in Siberia, also to measure distances between populated areas. The 500-fathom verst was used somewhat less frequently, mainly for measuring distances in the European part of Russia.

During the era of the Moscow State fathom , equal to 152 cm, gradually disappears and plays a dominant role fly fathom , equal to 2.5 arshins, i.e. 180 cm, and breech fathom - 3 arshins, i.e. 216 cm. Council Code 1649 was finally legalized3-yard fathomas official.

Vershok - an ancient Russian measure of length equal to the width of two fingers (index and middle). The length of the top is approximately 4.4 cm.

Arshin - one of the main Russian measures of length has been used since the 16th century. Arshin came to Rus' along with merchants from distant eastern countries.

Merchants brought unprecedented fabrics. The finest Chinese silks. Heavy Indian brocade made from real gold and silver threads. Velvet and taffeta woven with flowers and dragons are from Persia. Merchants brought fabrics, and they had to be measured. Eastern merchants did without any meters: they stretched the fabric over own hand, to the shoulder. This was called measuring with arshins. The name arshin comes from the Persian word "arsh" - elbow. This is the length of the entire outstretched arm from the shoulder joint to the end of the phalanx of the middle finger. An arshin is 71 cm.

The measure was very convenient - you always have your hands with you - but it had a significant drawback: unfortunately, everyone’s hands are different. Some are long, others are shorter. Cunning merchants began to look for clerks with shorter arms. But one day this came to an end. Selling “at your own yard” was strictly prohibited by the authorities. Only “official arshin” was allowed to be consumed. This arshin standard, which is a metal ruler, was made in Moscow. Wooden claws of this line were sent throughout Russia. To prevent the wooden arshin from being shortened, the ends were bound with iron and marked with the state mark.

Measures of length in Russia (XVIII-XIX centuries)

The system of length units that had developed by the end of the 17th century was expanded in the 18th century with the introduction of English measures - feet, inches. The change in the system of length measures carried out by Peter I was caused by the need to link Russian and the most common English measures in the world at that time and to simplify the relationships between them in the interests of not only trade, but also in order to create a Russian fleet.

Foot - This is the length of the average Englishman's foot. 16 Englishmen lined up in a chain in such a way that each next one touched the heels of the previous one with the ends of his toes. One sixteenth of such a chain was one foot.

Inch - The name comes from the Dutch word for "thumb". Equal to the width of your thumb or the length of three dry grains of barley taken from the middle part of the ear.

It was legalized to divide the inch not only into 10 lines, but also into 100 points

Line - width of wheat grain, approximately 2.54 mm.

Ancient Russian measures

Units of length
Verst	1 verst = 500 fathoms ≈ 1.0668 km ≈ 1066.8 m
Fathom	1 fathom = 7 feet = 3 arshins ≈ 2.1336 m
Arshin	1 arshin = 16 vershok = 28 inches ≈ 71.12 cm
Foot	1 foot = 12 inches ≈ 30.48 cm
Vershok	≈ 4.445 cm
Inch	1 inch = 10 lines = 2.54 cm
Line	1 line = 10 points = 2.54 mm
Dot	0.254 mm
Elbow	≈ 10.667 vershok ≈ 47.415 cm
Span	1 span = 4 inches ≈ 17.78 cm

Metric system

The use of a wide variety of length measures hampered the development of science and trade between countries. Therefore, there is a need to introduce a unified system of measures convenient for all countries. The first to talk about the need to establish a simple, convenient and, most importantly, unified system of measures were not merchants, but scientists, who also “suffered” from difficulties in comparing the results of experiments.

Scientists of the French Academy of Sciences in the second half of the 18th century proposed taking one ten-millionth of a quarter of the arc of the Paris meridian as the basic unit of length. Subsequently, this part of the arc was called the meter. This system was called the metric system of measures.

The basic unit of length in the metric system is 1 meter (from the Greek word "metron" - measure). The first prototype of the meter standard was made of brass in 1795. In 1889 a more accurate international standard meter was produced. This standard is also made of an alloy of platinum and iridium and has cross section in the form of the letter "X". Copies of it were deposited in countries where the meter was accepted as the standard unit of length. This standard is still kept by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, although it is no longer used for its original purpose.

In September 1918, the international metric system was introduced by special decree. This decree was implemented gradually. Along with new system they also used old measures, that is, they wrote the old Russian measure and at the same time indicated its relationship to the metric one, or together with the new measure they designated the old one. Only in January 1927, when the transition of the national economy was prepared, did the metric system finally become the only acceptable measurement system.

The system of weights and measures was further developed in the second half of the twentieth century. In 1960, the international system of units - SI - was approved. In Russia, it began to be introduced in January 1963, and it was finally approved in 1981. The rapid development of science and technology, trade relations between states after the end of the Second World War required finding a simpler and more reliable definition of the meter using constant physical quantities. Since 1983, a meter has been defined as the length of path that light travels in a vacuum in a given fraction of a second.

Ancient measures in proverbs and sayings

One like a finger - a person who has no relatives, no relatives, no friends.

Don't point your finger at people! They wouldn't point you out with a pole!- If you accuse someone (point your finger at him), then you may be accused of something much worse or done it in an even more rude manner.

Two inches from the pot, and already the pointer- a young man who has no life experience, but arrogantly teaches everyone.

Her Saturday got two inches after Friday- about a sloppy woman whose undershirt is longer than her skirt.

Don't give up an inch- not to give even the smallest amount.

Seven spans in the forehead- about a very smart person,

Himself as long as a fingernail, and a beard as long as an elbow- about a person of unenviable appearance, but enjoying authority due to his intelligence, social status or life experience. Before Peter I, a beard was considered an honorable attribute of a man. A long, well-groomed beard served as a sign of wealth and nobility.

Each merchant measures with his own arshin -everyone judges any matter one-sidedly, based on their own interests.

Sits and walks as if he had swallowed an arshin- about an unnaturally straight person.

A beard a yard long, but an inch smart- about an adult, but stupid person.

Oblique fathoms in the shoulders- broad-shouldered, tall man.

He sees three arshins into the ground- about an attentive, perspicacious person from whom nothing can be hidden.

Log to log - fathom - about the accumulation of reserves, wealth through savings.

Kolomenskaya verst- a humorous nickname for a tall person. This expression appeared during the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (reigned 1645 - 1676). He ordered that pillars be placed along the road from Moscow (more precisely, from its Kaluga outpost) to his summer palace in the village of Kolomenskoye at a distance of 700 fathoms from each other. Tall, about two fathoms, these pillars made such a great impression on ordinary people that they remained in popular speech forever.

Moscow is miles away, but close to the heart- this is how Russian people characterized their attitude towards the capital.

Love is not measured by miles. A hundred miles is not a detour for a young man- distance cannot be an obstacle to love.

From word to deed - a whole mile.

A mile closer - a nickel cheaper.

If you fall behind by a mile, you'll catch up by ten- even a small lag is very difficult to overcome.

leaps and bounds - fast growth, good development anything.

You are away from work for a week, but it is away from you for a fathom.

Seeing a fathom through the ground.

A riddle, a solution, and seven miles of truth.

A hundred miles is not a detour for a young man.

We lived as long as an elbow, but only a fingernail is left.

In someone else's hands, a fingernail the size of an elbow.

Give from the nail, he will ask from the elbow.

Seven yards of beef and three pounds of ribbons (about nonsense).

Arshin for a caftan, two for patches.

The nose is as big as an elbow, and the mind is as big as a fingernail.

We don’t need an inch of someone else’s land, but we won’t give up even an inch of our own.

For a friend, seven miles is not a suburb.

Problems with ancient length measures

1. When will they meet?One person goes to another city and walks 40 miles a day, and another man walking meet him from another city and travel 30 miles a day. The distance between the cities is 700 versts. In how many days will the travelers meet?

2. Long beard.A person's beard grows, lengthening by 1/5 of an inch per week. Let's assume that a beard grows at a constant rate throughout a person's life. How long would a man's beard be if he hadn't shaved for 30 years?

3. Buying cloth. Bought one and a half times an arshin of cloth. Paid half a quarter, half a fifth of a ruble. The question is, how much should one pay for half a ninety arshin of the same cloth?

4. Apple picking. 100 apples lie in a row at a distance of an arshin from one another. There is a basket in front of the first apple, also at a distance of 1 arshin from it. The question is: what path will the one take who undertakes to collect all these apples in such a way as to take them sequentially one after another and carry each one separately into a basket that always stands in the same place?

Results of a survey to identify interest in ancient Russian measures

We conducted a survey to determine the continued interest in ancient Russian measures. 60 people were interviewed, among them 20 students of the Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution "Pochaevskaya Secondary School", 20 people aged from 18 to 40 years and 20 people over 40 years old. Each of them was asked a question, and then a comparison chart was made in percentage terms between the responses of students and the older generation.

Question: Are you familiar with ancient units of length?

Based on the survey, it was revealed that the current generation has lost interest in ancient measures and is forgetting their national roots.

Conclusions:

The work carried out is interesting from a cognitive point of view. We became more familiar with ancient Russian units of measurement. Revealed a connection between ancient units and oral folk art. Questionnaire data shows that the younger generation is not very familiar with ancient units of measurement, so we want to introduce our work to the students of our school by speaking at a scientific conference at the end of the school year.

Most of the old measures have been forgotten and fallen out of use. Ancient measures are rarely used, but are still used in our modern life. For example, fathom is still used in agriculture.

The history of measures is the history of trade, crafts, agriculture and construction, and ultimately it is part of the history of mankind. Summing up the work, we come to the conclusion about the significance of my work: how did the measures appear, how did they change, what did they bring to the people and how did they influence their lives? This is still interesting today.

Having finished the work, we experienced great pleasure from the fact that we ourselves wrote for the first time research work under the guidance of the teacher and we think that we succeeded.

Literature

1. Amenitsky, N.N. Funny arithmetic [Text]/ N.N. Amenitsky - Moscow “Science”, 1991. - 123 p.
2. Vilenkin, N.Ya., Depman, I.Ya. Behind the pages of a mathematics textbook[Text]/ N.Ya. Vilenkin, I.Ya. Depman - M., 1981. - 217 p.
3. History of the development of metrology [Electronic resource]/ Access mode: http://www.metrologie.ru, free. Closed from the screen. - Yaz. rus.
4. Kamenskaya, E.N. Russian metrology [Text]/ E.N. Kamenskaya - M., 1975. - 157 p.
5. Karpushina, N.M. Man-made measurements[Text]/ N.M. Karpushina // Mathematics at school. - 2008.- No. 7. -P.49-61.
6. Measures of length [Electronic resource]/ Access mode: http://www.iro.yar.ru, free. Closed from the screen. - Yaz. rus.
7. Comparative table of Russian and metric measures [Electronic resource]/ Access mode: http://trust.narod.ru, free. Closed from the screen. - Yaz. rus.

measure length metric vintage

Since ancient times, the measure of length and weight has always been man. How far he can stretch his hand, how much he can lift on his shoulders, etc.

The system of Old Russian measures of length included the following basic measures: verst, fathom, arshin, elbow, span and vershok.

The first units of length in Rus', as in other countries, were associated with the size of parts of the human body and the length of his steps. A person always carried many units of length with him and could use them in any conditions. The Russian people created their own system of measures. Monuments of the 10th century speak not only about the existence of a system of measures in Kievan Rus, but also about state supervision over their correctness. This supervision was entrusted to the clergy. One of the charters of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich says: “... from time immemorial it was established and entrusted to the bishops of the city and everywhere all sorts of measures and weights and weights... to observe without dirty tricks, neither to multiply nor to diminish...” (... it has long been established and the bishops are instructed to monitor the correctness of the measures... not to allow them to be diminished or increased...).

The oldest measures of length in Rus' are the cubit and the fathom. We do not know the exact original length of either measure. An Englishman who traveled around Russia in 1554 testifies that a Russian cubit was equal to half an English yard. According to the “Trading Book,” compiled for Russian merchants at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, three cubits were equal to two arshins.

The cubit is the oldest measure of length, which was used by many peoples of the world. This is the distance from the end of the extended middle finger or clenched fist to the bend of the elbow. This unit of length was used by many peoples, but, of course, under different names: “ammatu” in Babylon, “nemekh” in Egypt, “pehiy” in Greece, “cubitus” in Rome. Its length ranged from 38 cm to 54 cm or 8-16 inches.

For the first time, the cubit as a measure of length is mentioned in the “Russian Truth” of Yaroslav the Wise: “the bridge worker, having laid the bridge, take from the work, from ten Lakota Nogat.” The value of the Old Russian cubit was 10.25 x 10.5 vershoks, which equaled approximately 46-48 cm. These data were obtained from a comparison of measurements in the Jerusalem temple made by Abbot Daniel, and later measurements of the same dimensions in an exact copy of this temple in the main temple of Novo -Jerusalem Monastery on the Istra River (XVII century). It has been used as a measure of length in Rus' since the 16th century. The cubit was widely used in trade as a particularly convenient measure. Merchants used their elbows to measure the fabrics they were selling, wrapping them around their hands; they used their elbows to measure the height of a tree cut down to build a house, etc.

Along with the elbow, other units were also used to measure lengths. If you bring your hands together on your chest, the ends of your fingers will come together. This means that the elbow is equal to a quarter of the distance between the ends of the fingers of the outstretched hands. This distance was used to measure lengths in many countries.

In Rus' it was called sazhen. The first mention of fathoms is found in an 11th-century chronicle compiled by the Kyiv monk Nestor. The name fathom comes from the verb to reach (reach), that is, how far one could reach with one’s hand. To determine the meaning of the ancient Russian fathom, a major role was played by the discovery of a stone on which the inscription was carved in Slavic letters: “In the summer of 6576 (1068) of the 6th day of indictment, Prince Gleb measured... 10,000 and 4,000 fathoms.” From a comparison of this result with the measurements of topographers, a fathom value of 151.4 cm was obtained. The results of measurements of temples and the value of Russian folk measures coincided with this value.

The fathom was widely used in measuring distances, planning and construction various structures, in shipbuilding, during surveying and cartographic work. So in Moscow and in other large cities, back in the 16th century, the regulated width of streets and alleys was measured: “Under the Tsar Tsar and Grand Duke Fyodor Ioannovich of all Rus', large streets were built to protect from fires, twelve fathoms wide, and the alleys were ten fathoms long.” (six). The actual length of streets or their paved parts was also expressed in fathoms. For example, the total length of log and plank pavements in Moscow in 1646 was equal to 2017 fathoms, which was more than 4 kilometers.

The exact values ​​of fathoms were reproduced using standard measures stored in orders. Mention is made of “a city fathom, as in the Pushkarsky Prikaz”, “an iron fathom of three arshins without a quarter”, “two iron fathoms, one city and pavement of the Moscow measure, and the other a courtyard shop of the Moscow measure”. Half fathoms, arshins, quarters and eighths were applied to the measures. Along with lined rulers, measuring ropes and wooden folds were used, which initially did not have a single set length. For measuring distances between cities in versts, a measuring rope of 100 fathoms turned out to be the most convenient and firmly established in practice. The decree of November 7, 1835 further legitimized the value of the fathom as a measure equal to 7 English feet and approved the unified, generally binding samples (standards) of this basic measure of length created by the 1827 commission. Two fathom standards were made - the main one, consisting of six platinum and six brass strips, placed in the grooves of two brass cylinders, and a working one, in the form of an iron strip.

Fathom = 2.1336 meters

According to historians and architects, there were a large number of different fathoms. They had their own names, were incommensurable and not multiples of one another. Great fathom? 244.0 cm; city ​​fathom? 284.8 cm; Greek fathom? 230.4 cm; official (measured, three-arshin) fathom? 217.6 cm; masonry fathom? 159.7 cm; small fathom? 142.4 cm; fathom = 182.88 cm; folk fathom? 176.0 cm; simple fathom? 150.8 cm; a fathom without a couple? 197.2 cm; pipe fathom? 187 cm; royal fathom? 197.4 cm; church fathom? 186.4 cm; four-arshin fathom = 284.48 cm.

Also known: fathom arshin, coastal, large, sovereign, courtyard, surveyor, Cossack, rotary, oblique, peasant, shop, measured (official), pavement, small, new, foot, printed, scribe, full, simple, manual, power , stepped, customs, pointed, walking, human, etc. Makhovaya fathom - the distance between the ends of the fingers of outstretched hands, which are spread to the full swing of the arms: Machovaya fathom = 1.76 meters

Oblique fathom - the distance from the toe of the left foot to the end of the middle finger of the raised right hand: Oblique fathom = 2.48 meters

Times changed, some measures disappeared, others appeared. The elbow was replaced by the arshin - the name comes from the Persian word “arsh” - elbow. This is the length of the entire outstretched arm from the shoulder joint to the end phalanx of the middle finger.

But different provinces of Russia had their own units of length, so when merchants sold their goods, as a rule, they measured it with their own yardstick, deceiving buyers in the process. To eliminate confusion, the official arshin was introduced, i.e. the arshin standard, which is a wooden ruler, at the ends of which metal tips with a state mark were attached.

By 1807, three arshin standards were made and stored in St. Petersburg (crystal, steel and copper). The standards were approved by Alexander I and transferred for storage to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 52 copper tetrahedral arshins were made to be sent to each province. On July 10, 1810, the State Council of Russia decided to introduce a single measure of length throughout the country - the standard 16 vershok arshin (71.12 cm). It was ordered to introduce state-branded yardsticks priced at 1 silver ruble in all provinces, with the simultaneous withdrawal of old yardstick templates. In 1899 in Russia it was adopted as the main measure of length.

Arshin = 71.12 cm

In the second half of the 17th century, the arshin was used together with the vershok in various branches of production. In the “Description Books” of the Armory Chamber of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery (1668) it is written: “... a copper regimental cannon, smooth, nicknamed Kashpir, Moscow made, length three arshins and a half-eleven vershok (10.5 vershok) ... Large cast-iron archin, Lev iron, with belts, length three arshins, three quarters and a half inch."

There are different versions of the origin of the arshin measure of length. Perhaps, initially, the arshin denoted the length of a human step (about seventy centimeters, when walking on the plain, at an average pace) and was the base value for other large measures of determining length, distances (fathom, verst). The root “ar” in the word arshin in the Old Russian language (and in other neighboring languages) means “earth”, “surface of the earth”, and indicates that this measure could be used in determining the length of the path traveled on foot.

There was another name for this measure - step. In practice, counting could be done in pairs of steps of an adult (small fathoms: one-two - one, one-two - two, one-two - three...), or in threes (official fathoms: one-two-three - one, one -two-three-two...). And when measuring small distances in steps, step-by-step counting was used.

Stride is the average length of a human step. One of the oldest measures of length. Information has been preserved on the use of step to determine the distance between cities in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Egypt, Persia. Pitch as a measure of length is still used today. There is even a special pedometer device, similar to a pocket watch, which automatically counts the number of steps a person has taken.

Step = 71 cm

The distance at which the opponents were supposed to converge during the duel was measured in steps. So, from a distance of 10 steps, which is 7.1 meters, on the Black River near St. Petersburg on January 27, 1837, in a duel, Dantes shot at A.S. Pushkin and mortally wounded him. In 1841, on July 15, not far from Pyatigorsk, Martynov fired his fatal shot from a distance of 15 steps or 10.65 meters and killed M.Yu. Lermontov.

In later times, the distance measure of the verst was established. In ancient monuments, a verst is called a field and is sometimes equated to 750 fathoms. This word originally referred to the distance traveled from one turn of the plow to another during plowing. The two names have long been used in parallel, as synonyms. There are known references to the verst in written sources of the 11th century. In the manuscripts of the 15th century there is an entry: “a field of fathoms 7 hundred and 50” (750 fathoms long). This can be explained by the existence in ancient times of a shorter fathom. Before Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, one verst was considered 1000 fathoms. The verst, equal to 500 fathoms, was finally established only in the 18th century. In modern calculation, a verst is equal to: 213.36 x 500 = 1066.8 meters

Versta = 1.07 km

The boundary verst existed in Rus' until the 18th century to determine the distance between settlements and for land surveying (from the word boundary - the border of land holdings in the form of a narrow strip). The length of such a mile is 1000 fathoms or: Boundary mile = 2.13 km

Mile (from the Latin word "mille" - a thousand steps) is a Russian measure of length. Used as a unit for measuring long distances, equal to seven versts or: Mile = 7.468 km

Today, the mile as a measure of length is used mainly in maritime affairs.

International nautical mile = 1.852 km

For small measures of length, the base unit in Rus' has been the span from time immemorial. For our ancestors, the word span meant hand. Span - the distance between the ends of the outstretched thumb and index fingers.

Span = 17.78 cm

Since the 17th century, a length equal to a span was called differently - a quarter. Quarter - the distance between the ends of the spread thumb and middle fingers

Quarter = 18 h 19 cm

Big span - the distance between the ends of the thumb and little finger.

Large span = 22 h 23 cm

A span with a somersault is a span with the addition of two joints of the index finger.

Somersault span = 27 h 31 cm

Our old icon painters measured the size of icons in spans: “nine icons - seven spans (1 3/4 arshins). The Most Pure Tikhvinskaya on gold - pyadnitsa (4 vershoks). Icon of St. George the Great deeds of four spans (1 arshin).”

From a quarter, by eye it was easy to get smaller shares - two inches (1/2 inch) or an inch (1/4 inch). The tip is the top of the index finger, or more precisely, the two upper joints of this finger. The name "top" comes from the word "top". In the literature of the 17th century, there are also fractions of an inch - half an inch and a quarter of an inch. When determining the height of a person or animal, counting was carried out after two arshins (mandatory for a normal adult). If it was said that the person being measured was 15 vershoks in height, then this meant that he was 2 arshins 15 vershoks, i.e. 209 cm.

Height in inches
Height in meters

Top = 4.45 cm

To measure smaller distances, the palm was used - the width of the hand. And also the finger - old name index finger, the width of which is approximately 2 cm.

Palm = 8.05 cm;

Finger = 2 cm

The line is the width of a wheat grain, approximately 2.54 mm. This measure was used to measure the diameter of the neck in the glass part of the lamp. This unit also denotes caliber, i.e. the diameter of the bore in the barrel of a firearm. Largest diameter bullets and projectiles are also expressed in lines or millimeters. Hence the name “three-line rifle” for a rifle of 7.62 mm caliber (2.54 x 3 = 7.62). This Mosin rifle has been in service with the Russian army since the end of the 19th century. After some modernization it was also used in Soviet army(along with automatic weapons) during the Great Patriotic War. Along with anthropological ones, approximate everyday measures were used in ancient Rus'. They were inaccurate and not materially reproducible. Shooting is the distance that an arrow fired from a bow flew, which was 60-70 meters. Throwing a stone is the distance over which a stone could be thrown, day is the distance covered in a day. When organizing horse mail, such a unique travel measure as vyprezhai came into practice - the distance between the points at which horses were re-harnessed when transporting government mail.

During the period of feudal fragmentation of Rus' and during the era of the Tatar-Mongol yoke (XIII - first half of the 15th century), they continued to use the same measures of length, the system of which developed in Kievan Rus: verst, fathom, elbow, span. The isolation of the principalities, the disruption of contacts due to the arrival of the Tatar-Mongol conquerors, and the lack of “legal” measures increased the use of local, anthropological and everyday measures. For example, a drag or rut is the distance that a mower or a plowman can travel without stopping.

In the era of fragmentation of Rus' there was no single system of measures. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the unification of Russian lands around Moscow took place. With the emergence and growth of national trade and the establishment of taxes for the treasury from the entire population of the united country, the question arises of a unified system of measures for the entire state.

In the 18th century, the measures were refined. From the second half of the 18th century, the measure of vershoks, in connection with the reduction of arshin and fathom to a multiple ratio with English measures, was replaced by small English measures: inch, line and point, but only the inch took root. Lines and dots were used relatively little. The lines expressed the dimensions of lamp glasses and the calibers of guns (for example, ten- or twenty-line glass, known in everyday life). The dots were used only to determine the sizes of gold and silver coins. In mechanics and mechanical engineering, the inch was divided into 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 parts. In construction and engineering, dividing fathoms into 100 parts was widely used.

Peter I by decree established the equality of a three-arshin fathom to seven English feet. The former Russian system of length measures was supplemented with new measures. In connection with the development of trade, there is a need to establish clear correspondences between different measures. To facilitate calculations, tables of measures and relationships between Russian and foreign measures were published. In 1835, Russian measures were brought into a certain system. She looked like this:

FATHOMS = 3 ARSHINS = 12 SPINS = 48 VERSHKS = 7 FEET = 84 INCHES

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