Russian system of measures of length (brief description)

Vladimir A. Belobrov Russian system of measures of length (brief description) It can be assumed that, historically, before the unification of eastern Russian lands under the authority of the Moscow principality, Russian system of measures of length had territorial divisions: "north" – in Novgorod, and "south" – in Kiev and then in Moscow. But they are attributed very little and are not fixed in the documents. The system had been modernized several times: for the first time – probably after the adoption of Christianity; for the second time – after the Mongol invasion; for the third time – in the middle of the XVI century, under Ivan IV (Grozny), when were officially introduced in the turnover the arshine, vershock and “royal” (later “treasury”) fathom; for the fourth time – at times of first Romanovs’; for the fifth time – under Peter the Great and for the sixth time – under Alexander and Nikolay Pavlovich. In the Middle Ages in Russia the following measures of length have been applied: "pjadj"1 (span), "lockotj" (cubit), "sagenj" (fathom) and "versta" (analog of a mile). Contrary to the opinion of some French researchers of XIX century a measure of "finger" was not found in Russian official documents. But the measure "polvershka" (22,225 mm), which was close in size "fingers" and inches of other peoples, from the middle of the XVI century in Russia there was officially used. Besides the "finger" had been always widely used in People metrology. There were 3 standard sizes of span apparently: 177.8...180 mm, 230...235 mm and 260...280 mm. The exact dimensions of a Russian span are not known today, like most of other Russian measure units. The origin is unknown. Interconnections with other measures are unknown either. Therefore the information I provide here is most likely an estimate. The sizes of individual measures can be adjusted accordingly to the extent that as the evolution of knowledge about whole system is developing. All spans have been replaced by a single measure in XVI century. It was a "chetj", a quarter of the arshine. Apparently it had not used since the beginning of the XIX century more. There were obviously two standard sizes of lockotj (cubit). In the Novgorod Republic in the north-west of Russia used "Ivansky" cubit, the size of which is unknown. It has been estimated at 533...547 mm. The other size was used in all other arears of Russia (Kiev, Vladimir, Moscow, etc.). English have evaluated its size as 457 mm (“half English yard”) in the XVI and XVII centuries. But most likely it was longer: 460...475 mm, since it is known that the cubit had been equal to 2/3 of arshine in the XVI century in Russia. In the XVII century cubits have not been applied in Russia already because they have been displaced by arshine. Arshine had appeared in Russia by the end of the XV century and in the middle of the XVI century it had received the status of Russian standard measure of length. Its size is unknown, as well as its origin. I believe that the initial size of the arshine was the same as the later one. 1 The words "pjadj", "lockotj" and "sagenj", also “chetj” have had a soft end marked here as “j”, looking like a vowel in the end. Apparently in the second half of the XVII century the size of the arshine had been changed a little – up to 717.76 mm. This had been confirmed by the travelers the XVII century, by the French reference books of the XIX century and by the measurement rules of Peter the Great, now stored in the Hermitage. But Peter the Great had decided to adjust the size of the "treasury" Russian fathom to 7 English feet. As a consequence, arshine (1/3 fathoms) had got the size of 28 English inches. Arshine of this size had been used until its cancellation in 1925. Russian researchers usually consider the arshine to have come from Turkey. In my opinion however it is the "cubit of the Silk Road", because such measure as the latest Russian arshine have been observed in Turkey (halebi of Erzurum), Central Asia (alçin of Khiva and Bukhara), North India (guz of Khambhat and Surat) and possibly China («chi» in 1/3 arshine). Nowhere else in the world the measure of 711.2 mm had been ever represented. In addition to the four-quarter ("chetj") division arshine had been divided into 16 "vershock" too. Vershok had been a specific Russian measure in 44.45 mm. It was similar to the Greek κόνδυλος. There were several sizes of fathom in Russia. They usually didn't have proper names until the XVII century, so that had been difficult to establish their exact dimensions. Obviously the principal one was "mernaya" ("dimensional") fathom, identical to ancient Greek orgia at 1.778 meters. It is possible that its size was a little bigger: 1.781 m, as one of the Swedish «famn» and Finnish «syli». It was mentioned in documents of the XI century. We found it in the measurements of fortifications around the same time too. And in the XVII century the "dimensional" fathom had yet being applied "for government business". It is believed that this fathom was used informally even in the XIX century, when it became known as "makhovaya" ("brandished") fathom (because its size was equal to the span of arms of an adult man). The "manual" fathom in 1.6...1.65 m had been referred to in the documents of no later than the XI century. The "church" one was of the 1.852...1.884 m. It had a limited application in the church community apparently. Another size of the fathom, referred to in the documents and calculated on the buildings since the XI century, had been called "sagenj bez cheti" (it was the size of a 3 arshines without one quarter of the one). More or less exactly its size can be set to 1.975 m. The origin and place in the Russian system of measures of this fathom are not clear now, but it was used often and for a long time: until the mid XVII century as the official measure and later - informally - as "oblique" fathoms. It was known under this name in XIX century yet. It is possible that it was 1/750th of the Roman mille passus. The way that could happen – was not clear. The first mention of "oblique" fathom of other size refers to the beginning of the XVI century. In the XVII century it had been called "gorodovaya" ("urban") and "mostovaya" ("paving") because it was officially used in town planning. It had the size of 4 arshines (2.845… 2.871 m). Another fathom had been widely used in architecture from the end of the XV century. In particular, the length of the wall of the Moscow Kremlin had been measured by it. It was called the "sagenj s chetyu", which meant a "fathom in the size of 3 arshines with one quarter of the one". But that was a rough estimate therefore that was likely, that its size was exactly 1/100 verge of the Great Pyramid. In view that the Moscow Kremlin had been built by Italian architects from Milan, we could assume that they had introduced that measure. But in fact there was no such measure in Italy in general, and in Milan in particular. It is also possible that this measure was a part of "dowry" of Ivan III's wife Sophia Palaiologina. In the XVI century had started the process of replacement of all these fathoms to a new one in 3 arshines. Initially it had been called "zarskaya" ("royal"), and later "treasury". Apparently the process of this replacement had ended only up in the second half of the XVII Century. "Treasury" fathom, as well as "vershok" and "chetj", had been the part of the "Arshinesystem", which had started to be implemented under Ivan the Terrible in Russia. Probably, the size of the "treasury" fathom (as well as the size of arshine) had been adjusted to 2.153 m in the middle of XVII century. The reason for this adjustment is not clear. We can assume that in The Time of Troubles the standards of measures have been lost, and they have been recollected by occasional samples later on. Peter the Great, signing big contracts for the purchase of ships in England, had ordered to consider the size of "treasury" fathom to be equal to 7 English feet for the convenience of calculations. But this order had not been fixed in the official documents, and was set based on indirect evidences. But the new size of the "treasury" fathom (and the arshine!) had been applied on throughout the Russian Empire not earlier than in the first third of the XIX century. After that period its size had never been reviewed. In my opinion, the sizes of the arshine and the "treasury" fathom, introduced by Peter the Great, have been identical to their original sizes. Russian waypoint measure was called "versta". It is unknown yet how many standard sizes of verst have been used in Russia in the Middle Ages. The verst had been called "popristche" in the Middle Ages too. I have found that the road from Kiev through Moscow and Tver to Novgorod and then further to the White Sea from the XV century, and probably even earlier, had been measured by the latest "putevaya" ("waypoint") verst (500 "treasury" fathom, 1.067 km). Perhaps originally it had been somewhat longer: the lengths of Swedish mile and Finnish peninkulma have been 10.688 km, and 1/10 of the Swedish mile had been 1,069 km. The "waypoint" verst was entered into the "Arshine-system" in the XVI century, and the only waypoint measure of Russia in the XIX century had been remained. The other standard size of verst, which name is unknown, had been used in Moscow and in neighboring principalities. Most likely the length of this verst had been accurately 20% more than the "waypoint". The origin of this verst is unknown, however most of the important roads of Russia have been measured by this verst. "Mernaya" ("dimensional") verst of 1000 "treasury" fathoms had been limitedly applied in the XVI century. It had been well established that the lands around Moscow. Some of the roads in Siberia for a short time have been measured by this verst too. The "dimensional" verst had stopped using by the end of the XVIII century. There are opinions and occasional evidences that up to the middle of the XVII century in Russia the following measures could have also being used: ✓ the nameless verst which could enter 75 times the degree of meridian of the Earth (ancient Roman mille passus, 1.482 km), the length of which approximately equals to 700 "treasury" fathoms; ✓ the nameless verst which could enter 80 times the degree of meridian (Byzantine miles, 1.389 km); ✓ the "dimensional" verst in 1000 "dimensional" fathoms (1.778 km); ✓ the geographical mile which could enter 60 times the degree of meridian (1.852 km); ✓ the Polish mile of 7.41 km – in the territories conquered in the XV...XVII centuries from Rzeczpospolita. As mentioned above, Peter the Great had put into circulation in Russia the measures "inch" and "foot". But their use had been legally confirmed only by imperial decree in 1835. At the same time "inch" had been divided into 10 "lines". It seems that the "foot" is used only in the Russian Navy and the scientific community. "Inch" and "line" is mainly had been used in technical dimensions ("three inch" cannon had caliber 76.2 mm, and "three linear" Mosin rifle - 7.62 mm). Verchock was used in more traditional areas of the economy in the XIX century. For example, human height was specified in vershoks (human height had been indicated minus 2 arshines, i.e., "height in the 5 vershoks" was in reality 2 arshines and 5 vershoks: 2 * 711.2 + 5 * 44.45 = 1 644.65 mm ≈ 164 cm). This is almost everything which can be said today about the Russian measures of length.