Body parts used to measure things!

In ancient times, people used parts of the body to measure length.

The Egyptians had a standard length from the elbow to the middle fingertip, a distance of about 45-50cm (17.6-19.7 inches), which they called a ‘cubit’.

The width of the palm, or hand, was called a ‘palm’ or ‘hand’ and was about 9-10cms (3.5-3.9 inches). We still use ‘hands’ for measuring horses.

The ancient ‘fathom’ was the distance between the outstretched arms and is still used for measuring depth at sea. It is about 1.8 metres (6 feet).

The ‘foot’ may have come from ancient Babylonian brick measurement but in fact it works out at about the length of a man’s foot, about 30cm (12 inches).

The ‘finger’ became an inch, which the Romans made into one twelfth of a foot. In medieval England, three barley corns laid end to end added up to one inch (2.54 cms).

These and many other measurements were not standardised for a very long time.