Over time, the measurement of an
inchwas all over the measurement map.
For example, one inch was once defined as
the distance from the tip to the first joint
on a man’s finger. The ancient civilization
of the Harappan in the Punjab used the
“Indus inch”; based on ruler markings
found at excavation sites, it measured, in
modern terms, about 1.32 inches (3.35
centimeters; see below for more about the
Harappan). The inch was defined as one-
thirty-sixth of King Henry I of England’s
arm in the 11th century, and by the 14th
century, King Edward II of England ruled
that one inch equaled three grains of bar-
leycorn placed end to end lengthwise. (See
box on p. 46 for more about both kings.)
Longer measurements were often
measured by such units as yards, fur-
longs, and miles in Europe. At first, the yardwas the length of a man’s belt (also called
a girdle). The yard became more “standard” for a while, when it was determined to be
the distance from King Henry I’s nose to the thumb of his outstretched arm. The term
mileis derived from the Roman mille passus,or “1,000 double steps” (also called
paces). The mile was determined by measuring 1,000 double steps, with each double
step by a Roman soldier measuring five feet. Thus, 1,000 double steps equaled a mile,
or 5,000 feet (1,524 meters). The current measurement of feet in a mile came in 1595,
when, during the reign of England’s Queen Elizabeth I, it was agreed that 5,280 feet
(1,609 meters) would equal one mile. This was mainly chosen because of the populari-
ty of the furlong—eight furlongs equaled 5,280 feet.
Finally, the pacewas once attached to the Roman mile (see above). Today, a pace
is a general measurement, defined as the length of one average step by an adult
human, or about 2.5 to 3 feet (0.76 to 0.19 meters).What were the ancient definitionsof a foot?
Not all feet (or the foot) are created equal. The term footin measurement has had a
long history, with many stories claiming the origin-of-the-first-foot status. In fact, it
seems as if the foot has ranged in size over the years—from 9.84 to 13.39 inches (25 to
34 centimeters)—depending on the time period and/or civilization.
For example, the ancient Harappan civilization of the Punjab (from around 2500 to
44 1700 BCE) used a measurement interpreted by many to represent a foot—a very large
A cubit was once a common standard of measurement.
One cubit equals the distance from a person’s finger-
tips to the elbow. Of course, because different people
have different body sizes, the length of a cubit would
vary from person to person. Stone/Getty Images.