The Continental Palm, The Length of The Hand
In various parts of Europe and the Mediterranean, the palm was based on the length of the hand rather than the width. Greaves in 1647 gives equivalents for three kinds of palm, the Roman palmo di Architetti or architect's palm, the Roman palmo del braccio di mercantia or commercial palm, and the Genoa palm. In 1795 (and again in 1815) these values were reported by Charles Hutton:
| City | Inches | Metric equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Rome | 87⁄24 | 211 mm |
| Naples, as reported by Riccioli | 8 | 203 mm |
| Naples, as reported by others | 87⁄12 | 218 mm |
| Genoa | 93⁄4 | 248 mm |
| Morocco and Fez | 71⁄6 | 182 mm |
| Languedoc and some other parts of France | 93⁄4 | 248 mm |
| Metric equivalents are approximate, and do not take account of possible regional variations in the inch | ||
Palaiseau, writing in 1816, gives these metric equivalents for the palme or palmo:
| City | Lignes | Metric equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Florence (for silk, p.146) | 131.63 | mm |
| Florence (for wool, p.146) | 128.38 | 289.6 mm |
| Genoa (cloth measure, p.148) | 106.9 | 241.1 mm |
| Genoa (linear measure, p.91) | 107.43 | 242.3 mm |
| Livorno (for silk, p.157) | 128.41 | 289.7 mm |
| Livorno (for wool, p.157) | 130.08 | 293.4 mm |
| Malta (cloth measure, p.160) | 114.49 | 258.3 mm |
| Malta (linear measure, p.98) | 115.28 | 260.0 mm |
| Palermo (cloth measure, p.168) | 107.16 | 241.7 mm |
| Portugal (p.109) | 96.36 | 217.4 mm |
| Rome (cloth measure, p.173) | 109.52 | 247.1 mm |
| Rome (linear measure, p.111) | 99 | mm |
| Metric equivalents in the source here rounded to 0.1 mm | ||
According to a sign displayed in Pernes-les-Fontaines, Vaucluse, France, a palme or palm of 246.1 mm was in use there in the 17th century, and was one eighth of a canne. The same proportion applied in Malta, at Rome and at Palermo.
Read more about this topic: Palm (unit)
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