Measurements have played an important role in human civilization, our mankind, since its inception. They are very very important for various tasks such as building houses, trading, and sewing clothes, as they allow us to convey information about size. The need for measurements has led to the development of a vast array of systems of measures and weights, ranging from the simplest to the most complex.
What Units of Length Were Used in Ancient Times?
The earliest measures of length were based on human body parts, such as the palm, finger, elbow, and foot. Many modern units, especially in countries that have not adopted the metric system, have roots in these ancient measurements. Terms like "fathom" still reflect these early units even where they are no longer used for measurement.
For example, the English inch was originally defined as the width of a person's thumb. In the 14th century, King Edward II declared that an inch should equal the length of three barley grains lined up in a row. A foot was determined to be the average length of a person's foot, while a yard was equivalent to the length of a man's belt. A cubit, which was based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the fingers, was also commonly used.
All in all, this system was not so perfect as expected, as body parts can vary significantly in size from person to person. This variability led to the need for a universal measurement system, which took humanity thousands of years to develop.
How Was Weight Measured?
Ancient measures of weight often relied on comparisons with common seeds, grains, or stones, which were used on simple scales. The next step in the evolution of weight measurement occurred in Ancient Babylon, where standardized units were introduced: shekel, mina, and talent. The ancient Israelites adopted these units from Babylon, and they were later used by the Greeks and Romans. The Romans eventually replaced the mina with the liter, which has a modern English equivalent of a pound.
Despite having standard names, the actual weights of these units could vary greatly across different countries and even at different times within the same country. For instance, the mina in Babylon could weigh anywhere from 640 grams at one time to 978 grams at another. Still, it remained a key weight unit during biblical times.
Even into the 19th century, various regions often used different measurements for the same units. During the gold rush in the United States, many gold mines established their own measurement systems. One of California's earliest laws, enacted in 1850, aimed to standardize measures and weights.
What About Measuring Volume?
In ancient times, clay measuring vessels were commonly used to measure volume. Archaeologists frequently discover specialized amphorae for measuring grain and liquids. Different vessels were used for these two types of substances, which led to the existence of different volume units for liquids and bulk items. This distinction can still be seen in American volume units today. In Ancient Greece, the amphora was a key unit of volume, with its size varying between 2 to 26 liters depending on the city.
When Did a Unified System of Measurements First Appear?
The first comprehensive system of measures and weights emerged in Ancient India, specifically in Harappa, around the 2nd to 4th millennium BC. This remarkably accurate system included detailed units for measured quantities, such as 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500. Notably, it was the only ancient system that did not adopt the base-12 and base-60 systems from Babylon—which is why we still have 12 hours on a clock and 60 minutes in an hour.
An ivory measuring ruler discovered in Lothal shows that the smallest unit of length at the time was 1.704 mm, the smallest known unit from the Bronze Age. This Harappan system included precise units for weight, time, and length within a single scale, with the basic unit of weight similar to an ounce, equaling 28 grams.
How Was Time Measured Before the Modern Calendar and Clock?
Ancient cultures measured time based on the sun's position in the sky. Sundials were the most common instruments for tracking time, with each hour marked by the shadow cast by the sun on the dial. However, these clocks were ineffective after sunset.
Later inventions included measuring candles—candles marked with hourly segments that melted down in precisely one hour increments. These were used in China and provided one of the earliest methods for consistently measuring time.
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