Ancient Greek Units of Measurement - Length

Length

Some Greek measures of length were named after parts of the body, such as the δάκτυλος (daktylos, plural: daktyloi) or finger, and the ποῦς (pous, plural: podes) or foot. The values of the units varied according to location and epoch (e.g., in Aegina a pous was approximately 333 mm (13.1 in), whereas in Athens (Attica) it was about 296 mm (11.7 in)), but the relative proportions were generally the same throughout the Greek world. Different values are found in different sources; Hutton (1795) gives 12.084 inches (306.9 mm) for the Greek foot, while Smith (1851) gives 12.135 in (308.2 mm).

Smaller units of length
Unit Greek name Equal to Metric equivalent Description
daktylos δάκτυλος 19.3 mm finger
kondylos κόνδυλος 2 daktyloi 38.5 mm
palaistē or dōron παλαιστή, δῶρον 4 daktyloi 77.1 mm palm
dichas or hēmipodion διχάς, ἡμιπόδιον 8 daktyloi 154.1 mm half foot
lichas λιχάς 10 daktyloi 192.6 mm
orthodōron ὀρθόδωρον 11 daktyloi 211.9 mm
spithamē σπιθαμή 12 daktyloi 231.2 mm span of all fingers
pous ποῦς 16 daktyloi 308.2 mm foot
pygmē πυγμή 18 daktyloi 346.8 mm
pygōn πυγών 20 daktyloi 385.3 mm
pēchys πῆχυς 24 daktyloi 462.3 mm cubit
Except where noted, based on Smith (1851). Metric equivalents are approximate.
Larger units of length
Unit Greek name Equal to Metric equivalent Description
pous ποῦς 0.308 m foot
haploun bēma ἁπλοῦν βῆμα 2.5 podes 0.77 m single pace
bēma, diploun bēma βῆμα, διπλοῦν βῆμα 5 podes 1.54 m double pace
orgyia ὀργυιά 6 podes 1.85 m fathom
kalamos, akaina or dekapous κάλαμος, ἄκαινα, δεκάπους 10 podes 3.08 m
hamma ἅμμα 60 podes 18.5 m
plethron πλέθρον 100 podes 30.8 m
stadion στάδιον 600 podes 184.9 m
diaulos δίαυλος 2 stadia 369.9 m
hippikon ἱππικόν 4 stadia 739.7 m
milion μίλιον 8 stadia 1479 m Roman mile
dolichos δόλιχος 12 stadia 2219 m
parasanges παρασάγγες 30 stadia 5548 m adopted from Persia
schoinos σχοινός 40 stadia 7397 m adopted from Egypt
Except where noted, based on Smith (1851). Metric equivalents are approximate.


Read more about this topic:  Ancient Greek Units Of Measurement

Famous quotes containing the word length:

    “What though the traveler tell us of the ruins of Egypt, are we so sick or idle that we must sacrifice our America and today to some man’s ill-remembered and indolent story? Carnac and Luxor are but names, or if their skeletons remain, still more desert sand and at length a wave of the Mediterranean Sea are needed to wash away the filth that attaches to their grandeur. Carnac! Carnac! here is Carnac for me. I behold the columns of a larger
    and purer temple.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “At length they all to merry London came,
    To merry London, my most kindly nurse,
    That to me gave this life’s first native source;
    Though from another place I take my name,
    An house of ancient fame.”
    —Edmund Spenser (1552?–1599)

    “Rivers must have been the guides which conducted the footsteps of the first travelers. They are the constant lure, when they flow by our doors, to distant enterprise and adventure; and, by a natural impulse, the dwellers on their banks will at length accompany their currents to the lowlands of the globe, or explore at their invitation the interior of continents.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)