Good afternoon, dear guests!
In this article I would like to raise a very interesting and mysterious topic about measures of length that existed in the XI-XV centuries A.D. This system of measures is named as The metacarpal system, and it was used by our ancestors.
This system of measures was lost during the wars, and only partially restored, as the researcher of Slavic culture B.A. Rybakov writes about in the book "Russian systems of measures of length of the XI-XV centuries".
All measures are formed from the Span (the distance between the tips of the thumb and forefinger), therefore the system is called Fennel. It includes an interval starting from microns and ending with astronomical values.
Rybakov managed to prove and deduce the dependence of the old measures of length, which are based on a sequence of numbers with an irrational ratio of the sides of a square to its diagonals.
The values of these measures are a sequence formed by a system of inscribed squares and each subsequent number increases by the root of two. This attitude formed the basis of the system of harmonization of parts of Slavic architecture. Further, this topic is disclosed in detail by the historian and architect Alexei Alekseevich Titz in the 1978 edition. "Riddles of the Old Russian Drawing".
So, the Span is 17.78 cm. The metacarpal system is divided into small, medium and large measures. Each measure has its own designation, which you will see on the plate in the first column.
Small measures
"Two inches from the pot" and "Little man with a nokotok" expressions that take roots from the Pyadeva system of small measures.
Average measures
"Seven spans in the forehead", "Everyone measures his own yardstick", "Calculated every step" - expressions based on the average system of measures.
As you can see, each measure is a multiple of a Span.
According to historians who study the ancient Russian architect, there are more than 20 types of fathoms, but still not all of their exact values have been restored.
Here is what B.A. Rybakov writes about this:
Some more of the Sazhenes are known:
Further, big measures:
At the end of the article, I would like to add that the proportions of the Old Russian system of measures can be easily reproduced a person by measuring the distance of the span of the arms, elbow or measuring the length from shoulder to fingertips and etc.
When you touch the ancient knowledge, you understand how voluminous and rich they were. In fact, all over the world this knowledge is scattered bit by bit, and most likely even more erased from the face of the Earth.
I wish you health and good!
Further, an equally interesting article!
Fast counting method. How in the old days multidigit numbers were multiplied without multiplication tables? (peasant method)