Ancient Russian measures of weight and area. Ancient Russian Measures of length, weight, volume

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- 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” meant 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 major measures determining lengths, distances(fathom, verst). The root “AR” in the word a r sh i n - in the Old Russian language (and in other neighboring ones) 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. 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” (since 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 “government arshin,” which is a wooden ruler with metal tips with a state mark riveted at the ends.

STEP- average length of a human step = 71 cm. One of the oldest measures of length.
SPAN(pyatnitsa) - an ancient Russian measure of length. SMALL SPAND (they said - “span”; since the 17th century it was called “quarter”) - the distance between the ends of the spread thumb and index (or middle) fingers = 17.78 cm.
BIG SPAN- distance between ends thumb and little finger (22-23 cm).
FUCKING FLIP(“span with somersault”, according to Dahl - ‘span with somersault’) - 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 - pyadnitsa (4 vershoks). Icon of St. George the Great deeds of four spans (1 arshin)"

VERST- 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. Two titles for a long time 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- 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 defining pastures around major 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. the “travel” mileage remains, equal to 500 fathoms.

SAZHEN- one of the most common length measures in Rus'. There were more than ten fathoms of different purposes (and, accordingly, size). “Fly fathom” is the distance between the ends of the fingers of an adult man’s widely spaced hands. “Oblique fathoms” 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 oblique fathoms in his shoulders” (in the 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 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. There were fathomed measuring ropes and wooden “folds”, which were used in measuring distances and in construction.

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.

Makhovaya Fathom- the distance between the ends of the middle fingers of arms outstretched to the sides is 1.76 m.
OBLIQUE FATHOUS(originally “splait”) - 2.48 m.

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

ELBOW 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”). 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 a large wholesale trade- linen, cloth, etc., came in the form of large sections - “postavs”, the length of which is different time and in different places ranged from 30 to 60 cubits (in places of trade these measures had a specific, well-defined meaning)

PALM= 1/6 cubit (six-palmed cubit)
VERSHOK equaled 1/16 arshin, 1/4 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.

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”

Measures of length (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 (span, small pip, pyadnitsa, pyada, pyaden, pyadyka) = 4 vershka = 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 most ancient measures length (from the 17th century “span” was replaced by “quarter arshin”)
Synonym for “quarter” is “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 vershoks (10.5 vershoks) ... Large cast-iron arcal, 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 points were used only to determine the sizes of gold and silver coin. 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 basic Russian premetric measure of the volume of liquids is a bucket = 1/40 of a 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, rarely) V. - iron, wooden or leather utensils, mostly cylindrical in shape, with ears or a bow for wearing. In everyday life, two buckets on the rocker should be in a “woman’s lift.” 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. The oldest “international” measure of volume is “handful”.

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”). 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 The ancient measures were still common - golvazhnya, lukno and harvesting. In the XVI-XVII centuries. Along with the fairly common korobya and belly, the Vyatka grain measure marten, the Perm sapsa (measure of salt and bread), the Old Russian bast and poshev are often found. The Vyatka marten was considered equal to three Moscow quarters, the saptsa contained 6 pounds of salt and approximately 3 pounds of rye, bast - 5 pounds of salt, poshev - about 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 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 = 3 liters (it used to be a narrow neck glass bottle)

The “bottle” measure 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 count was on buckets, the box 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 production of glass vessels also dates back to this time. 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.

Overseas, 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 beverages. The shape of the damask was like a quarter.

Mug (the word means ‘for drinking in a circle’) = 10 glasses = 1.23 liters.

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), on the 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
Box- from solid pieces of bast, sewn together with strips of bast. The bottom and top cover are made of boards. Sizes - from small boxes to large chests of drawers
Balakir- a dugout wooden vessel, 1/4-1/5 in volume, buckets.

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 consisted of a variety of clay pots, pots, milk pans, lids, jugs, throats, milking bowls, birch bark with lids, containers, the capacity of which was approximately 1 /4- 1/2 buckets (about 3-5 l). 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 laid down - 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, they were used for a long time the following measures bulk solids (“grain measures”):

flipper- 12 quarters
quarter(chet) – 1/4 part of kadi
octopus(eighth - eighth part)

Kad(tub, shackle) = 20 buckets or more
Big tub - bigger tub

Tsybik- box (of tea) = 40 to 80 pounds (by weight).
Details: Tea was compacted tightly into wooden boxes, “tsibiki” - leather-covered 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 Umesto (‘Place’ - possible variant).

half an octagon
quadruple

Liquid measures (“wine measures”):

barrel(40 buckets)
boiler(from half a bucket to 20 buckets)
bucket
half a bucket
quarter bucket
osmukha (1/8)
crush(1/16 bucket)

Measures of volume of liquid and granular bodies:

1 quarter= 2.099 hectoliters = 209.9 l
1 quadruple(“measure”) = 2.624 deciliters = 26.24 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.

GOLDEN equaled 1/96 of a pound, in modern terms 4.26 g. They said about it: “the spool is small but expensive.” This word originally meant a gold coin.

LB(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 packet of tea weighing 50 grams was called an “octam” (1/8 pound)

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

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

PUD equaled 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. used various scales with equal-armed and unequal-armed yoke: “pud” is a type of scale with a variable fulcrum and a fixed weight, “skalvy” is an equal-armed scale (two-cup).

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

Measures of weight used in the 18th century:

Note: the most used at that time (XVIII century) are highlighted

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 certain role in the process of introducing the large 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 lands due to their location and irregular shapes were inconvenient to measure. The most commonly used yield measure was a haystack. 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 an average of 10 copecks of hay were taken from a tithe). Labor and sowing measures were expressed through a geometric measure - tithe.

Surface area measures:

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 consideration when 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 the 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, established the relationship of various measures to each other, and developed a project for organizing verification work in the country. 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 of measurement using measures of length. 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’s 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). It was ordered to introduce state-branded yardsticks priced at 1 silver ruble 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). The size of the stage is about two hundred meters. “...directly opposite the city lay the island of Pharos, on 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 septastadion (7 stages)” (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 big letters” - large
“Kolomenskaya Versta” is a very humorous name tall man.
“Oblique fathom 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
Ruble = 2 half
Tselkovy - the colloquial name for the metal ruble
Poltina = 50 kopecks
Quarter = 25 kopecks
Five-altyn = 15 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 equal to one kopeck. This is the smallest unit in the ancient money account. Since 1700, half coins were minted from copper = 1/2 copper money was equal to 1 kopeck.

Foreign names:
Pint is an old French measure of liquids, about 0.9 liters; in England and the USA - a measure of the volume of liquids and bread, approximately 0.57 l
Eighth of a pound = 1/8 pound
Gallon English - 4.546 l
Barrel - 159 l
Carat - 0.2 g, weight of wheat grain
Ounce - 28.35 g
English pound - 0.45359 kg
1 stone = 14 pounds = 6.35 kilograms
1 small handweight = 100 pounds = 45.36 kg.
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

Ancient Russian quantities:
Quarter - quarter, quarter
‘a quarter of wine’ = a fourth of a bucket.
‘four quarter grains’ = 1/4 cadi
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 (“osmushka 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 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 - two hundred and fifty
Field - ‘arena, lists’ (115 steps - a variant of 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”
“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

Additional reading:
New domestic research

In the old days, units of mass were formed according to natural patterns. So the mass of water with which a jug of a certain volume was filled was taken as a unit of mass. Based on the mass of grains or water, weights of different weights were made, which were used when weighing.

A bag of grain, flour or salt could be taken as a measure of weight.

In Russia, the following mass measures were used at different times:

Berkovets– this measure was used before the introduction of the metric system. It was used mainly in wholesale trade for weighing certain goods, such as wax and honey. This is exactly the mass of a standard barrel of wax. The measure is equal to 10 pounds.

Spool– in our time it is 4.26 grams. This unit of measurement was used when weighing the smallest goods that were of great value.

Hryvnia or hryvnia– went through a difficult stage of development and formation, at the same time serving as a monetary unit and a measure of mass. It got its name from an ornament made of gold or silver that was worn around the neck (colloquially on the back of the neck). The weight of the hryvnia was equal to one pound of silver. There were small and large hryvnia, the weight of which was 48 and 96 spools, respectively. In the 18th century, a new measure was introduced - the pound, while the large hryvnia was no longer used, and the small one remained in use under the name hryvnia (the adjective small was abolished).

Lb- appeared in the 18th century and was equal to a large hryvnia, that is, 96 spools. In 1747, this measure became the standard and for a long time was the basis of the weight measures of Russia: according to the bronze and gold-plated pound made in the same 1747, in 1835 a platinum pound was produced, which formed the basis of the weight measures first of the Russian Empire, and then what that time and Soviet Russia.

Lot- equal to three spools, which corresponds to 12.797 grams. Found its application in determining the amount of postage when weighing various postal items.

The smallest unit of mass measurement is a fraction, which is equal to 0.044 grams.

In the 12th century, the measuring unit pud appeared, which was equal to 40 pounds. In 1924, this unit of measurement fell into oblivion and ceased to be used.

The unit of measurement for medicines and pearls was the gran. 1 grain = 62.209 mg.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the measure of certain goods was a quarter or a quarter. It was called a waxed quarter and was equal to 12 pounds. It was used to weigh the wax. This unit was one of the largest; only the fin was larger. The last measure appeared in the 14th century and was equal to 90 to 120 poods. However, from the 15th to the 17th centuries, fins were equated to 72 pounds. In the 18th century, this measure was completely removed from use.

In the Russian mass spectrum there is also a clearly visible connection with wheat grain, which in ancient times was called pie (from the Old Russian name for wheat - piro): pie = 42.625 mg, kidney - 4 pie = 0.1705 g.

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Introduction

People constantly have to measure various quantities: mass, temperature, length and much more. Probably everyone has a ruler and a measuring tape at home. They are needed to measure lengths. There are other measuring instruments in every home: a clock that tells the time, a thermometer that everyone glances at when going outside, an electricity meter that lets them know how much they have to pay for it at the end of the month, and much more.

And how many measuring instruments are on the dashboard of a car! There is a speedometer, by which the driver knows how fast he is traveling, and instruments that show how much gasoline is in the tank, and a counter for kilometers traveled by the car, etc. In the store, the sellers have scales on which they weigh the products. But most of the measuring instruments are used in factories and factories. Measuring instruments full and modern aircraft. With their help, the pilot drives the car correctly, takes off and lands correctly, and checks whether the plane’s wings are icy. And many many others.

Nowadays, every civilized person will be able to make measurements, for example, find out the size of a printed sheet. In this case, the measurement value of the same sheet will be the same for a Russian, a Frenchman, and an Italian. Since we all use the same system of length measures - metric.

In this work, we will look at the history of the development of the system of measuring measures both in our country and throughout the world, what path humanity has gone through until everyone appeared in their lives famous meter. Let's consider the variety of measures of length that existed in ancient times, and study the connection between them and the metric system of measures existing in our time. We learn that a ruler that previously belonged to Peter I served as a model of a length measure when determining the size of an arshin and a fathom. Using this half-arshin measure, samples of length measures were made - a copper arshin and a wooden fathom. We will also learn how and what ancient measures of length are used in our time. Let's find out the use of ancient measures of length in literature and history. Let's learn how to convert ancient length measures into modern ones and vice versa.

Why are measurements needed?

Measurement is one of the most important things in modern life. But it was not always so. Primitive man had no special need for measurements. Later, people began to live in large groups. The exchange of goods began, which later turned into trade, and the first states arose. Then the need for measurements arose. The royal scribes had to know the area of ​​each peasant's field. This determined how much grain he should give to the king. It was necessary to measure the harvest from each field, and when selling linseed oil, wine and other liquids, it was necessary to know the volume of goods sold. When they started building ships, it was necessary to outline the correct dimensions in advance, otherwise the ship would sink. And, of course, the ancient builders of pyramids, palaces and temples, which still amaze us with their proportionality and beauty, could not do without measurements.

When measuring any quantity, first of all, you need to select the units of measurement. Any measurements are made in some units: length is measured in length units, weight in weight units, time in time units, etc. Over the course of its history, humanity has come up with a huge number of all kinds of units, and each nation had its own measures.

The rulers of different countries liked to set their own measures, often associated with themselves. For example, there are several versions of the origin of the name for the size of yard. A large measure of length, called the yard, was introduced by the English King Edgar and was equal to the distance from the tip of His Majesty's nose to the tip of the middle finger of his outstretched hand. As soon as the monarch changed, the yard became different - it lengthened, since new king was of a larger build than his predecessor. Then, on the next change of king, the yard became shorter again.

Such frequent changes in the unit of length created incredible confusion. King Henry I legalized a permanent yard and ordered a standard to be made from elm. According to another legend, the prototype of the length of a yard was the length of the sword of Henry I.

By the 18th 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. The question of choosing standards from the many existing ones, both domestic and overseas, turned out to be difficult.

The first measures of length

In V. Dahl’s explanatory dictionary the following definition is given: “A measure is a way of determining quantity by an accepted unit. A linear, linear measure is used to indicate distances or the size of lines.”

The first units for measuring length values ​​were not very accurate. For example, distances were measured steps . This is a natural and ancient measure of length. Of course different people The step size is different, but we took some average value.

However, to measure large distances, the step was too small a unit, so in ancient times they used other measures based on the same step.

For example, ancient Roman mile was equal to 1000 steps. Today the mile is used mainly in maritime affairs. In many Mediterranean countries in the 1st millennium BC, the measure of length was taken stages. This is the distance that a person walks at a calm pace during the period of time from the appearance of the first ray of the sun at sunrise until the full solar disk appears above the horizon. If this sun exit lasts approximately two minutes, then during this time the person average speed The walk covers about two hundred meters.

“...directly opposite the city lay the island of Pharos, at the northern end of which stood the famous lighthouse of the same name, built of white marble, connected to the city by a long pier called the septastadion (seven stages)” (F.A. Brockhaus, I.A .Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary).

Large distances were also measured transitions or days movements. In Jack London’s story “White Silence,” an Indian, when asked how much time is left to travel, replies: “You’re going 10 dreams, 20 dreams, 40 dreams” (that is, 24 hours).

Estonian sailors measured the distance tubes. This was their name for the route traversed by the ship at normal speed during the time it takes to smoke a pipe filled with tobacco. In Spain, the same measure of distance was cigar, and in Japan - horse shoe. This was the name given to the path taken by a horse until the straw sole tied to its feet, which replaced a horseshoe in this country, wears out.

In the old days, many units of length were associated with weapons. Maritime League – measure equal to distance cannon shot, which can be fired at a ship:

1 sea league = 5560 m

In India dhanush – a measure equal to the distance between the ends of the bow:

1 dhanush = 183 cm

In Persia Neise - a measure equal to the distance that a spear thrown by a warrior flies:

1 neise = 4 ÷ 5 m

In China yin , among the ancient Slavs shootout - a measure equal to the distance traveled by an arrow fired from a bow:

1 yin = 32 m

Many peoples used a measure of distance arrow , that is, the flight range of the arrow. But this measure depends on the strength of the shooter. Even in the Greek poem "Odyssey" it is said that Odysseus easily shot a bow that no one else could even bend.

Ancient measures of length in Rus'

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 of the existence of a system of measures in Kievan Rus, but also of 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.

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 elbow bend. 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 vershok.

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÷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 Church of the New 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' they called him fathom . 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.

Fathoms were widely used in measuring distances, planning and construction of various structures, in shipbuilding, and in land surveying and cartographic work. So in Moscow and in others major cities Even 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, twelve fathoms wide, and alleys were six fathoms wide” (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 Pushkar order,” “an iron fathom of three arshins without a quarter,” “two iron fathoms, one city and pavement of Moscow measure, and the other a courtyard shop of 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 was 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; breech (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; fathom without even ≈ 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 , step, customs, indicated, walking, human, etc.

Machaya fathom– the distance between the ends of the fingers of outstretched hands, which are spread apart to a full swing of the arms:

Mach 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. Replaced the elbow 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.

Step - average human step length. One of the oldest measures of length. There is information about the use of steps 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, a measure of distance was established verst . In ancient monuments the verst is called 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 calculus, a verst is equal to: 213.36 x 500 = 1066.8 meters

Versta = 1.07 km

Boundary mile 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:

Mezhevaya verst = 2.13 km

mile(from the Latin word "mille" - a thousand steps) - 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 extended thumb and index fingers.

Span = 17.78 cm

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

Quarter = 18 ÷ 19 cm

Large span– the distance between the ends of the thumb and little finger.

Large span = 22 ÷ 23 cm

Somersault span– a span with the addition of two joints of the index finger.

Somersault span = 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 - 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). Vershok - the top of the index finger, 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 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.

Top = 4.45 cm

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

Palm = 8.05 cm;

Finger = 2 cm

Line- width of 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 the Soviet Army (along with automatic weapons) during the Great Patriotic War.

Along with anthropological ancient Rus' Approximate household measures were used. They were inaccurate and not materially reproducible. Shootout - this is the distance that an arrow fired from a bow flew, which was 60÷70 meters. Throwing a Stone - the distance over which the stone could have been thrown, day – distance traveled per day. When organizing horse mail, such a unique travel measure came into practice as squeeze it out - the distance between the points where 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, dragged or rut - 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 XV and 16th centuries the unification of Russian lands around Moscow takes 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:

1 fathom = 3 arshins = 12 spans =

48 VERSHOVES = 7 FEET = 84 INCHES

Russian system of measures- a system of measures traditionally used in Rus' and the Russian Empire. The Russian system was replaced by the metric system of measures, which was approved for use in Russia (optional) according to the law of June 4, 1899. Below are the measures and their meanings according to the “Regulations on Weights and Measures” (1899), unless indicated other. Earlier values ​​of these units may have differed from those given; so, for example, the code of 1649 established a verst of 1 thousand fathoms, while in the 19th century the verst was 500 fathoms; versts of 656 and 875 fathoms were also used.

Sazhen, or sazhen (sazhen, sazhenka, straight sazhen)- old Russian unit of distance measurement. In the 17th century the main measure was the official fathom (approved in 1649 by the “Cathedral Code”), equal to 2.16 m and containing three arshins (72 cm) of 16 vershok each. Even in the time of Peter I, Russian measures of length were equalized with English ones. One arshin took the value of 28 English inches, and a fathom - 213.36 cm. Later, on October 11, 1835, according to the instructions of Nicholas I “On the system of Russian weights and measures”, the length of a fathom was confirmed: 1 government fathom was equal to the length of 7 English feet , that is, to the same 2.1336 meters.

Machaya fathom- an old Russian unit of measurement equal to the distance in the span of both hands, at the ends of the middle fingers. 1 fly fathom = 2.5 arshins = 10 spans = 1.76 meters.

Span– Old Russian unit of measurement of length. Since 1835 it has been equal to 7 English inches (17.78 cm). Initially, the span (or small span) was equal to the distance between the ends of the outstretched fingers of the hand - the thumb and index. The “big span” is also known - the distance between the tip of the thumb and middle finger. In addition, the so-called “span with a somersault” (“span with a tumble”) was used - a span with the addition of two or three joints of the index finger, i.e. 5–6 vershoks. At the end of the 19th century it was excluded from the official system of measures, but continued to be used as a folk measure.

The height of humans and large animals was indicated in vershok above two arshins, for small animals - in excess of one arshin. For example, the expression “a man is 12 inches tall” meant that his height is 2 arshins 12 inches, that is, approximately 196 cm.

Shtof, half-shtof, shtof– was used, among other things, when measuring the amount of alcoholic beverages in taverns and taverns. In addition, any bottle of damask volume could be called a half-damask. A shkalik was also a vessel of the appropriate volume in which vodka was served in taverns.

Russian measures of length

Russian measures of area

Russian measures of volume

Russian measures of bulk solids “grain measures”

Russian measures of liquid bodies “wine measures”

Russian weight measures

Russian measures of weight (mass) are apothecary and troy.

Pharmacist's weight is a system of mass measures used when weighing medicines until 1927.

1 pound = 12 ounces = 358.323 g.
1 ounce = 8 drachms = 29.860 g.
1 drachm = 1/8 ounce = 3 scruples = 3.732 g.
1 scruple = 1/3 drachm = 20 grains = 1.244 g.
1 grain = 62.209 mg.