human based units

[kengr]

There are a bunch of units based on the human body.

Finger: width of a finger, used for drinks mostly these days
Thumb: length of last joint of the thumb. about an inch
Hand: used for height of horses. 4 inches
Span: distance from tip of thumb to tip of little finger with them spread as far apart as possible. about 6 inches
Foot: length of foot
Cubit: from elbow to tip of index finger. 18 inches
Yard. from hand to tip of nose (think of pinching a bit of cloth or rope between thumb and forefinger and stretching out your arm and measure to your nose) 36 inches.
Ell: Same thing except to opposite shoulder about 45 inches
fathom: from one hand to the other with arms stretched. 6 feet
stride: distance between 2 footprints if you are walking normally
pace: 2 strides (distance between two footprints of the *same* foot when walking normally)
mile: originally 1000 paces.
league: 3 miles

Comments

[kengr]

So the farmers used cubits and the elite used something else.