In ancient times in Russia, they used their bodies to measure distance and length. Measured by fingers, palm, steps. The most common measure of length was fathom. Its name comes from the verb "squeeze", which means - reach out with your hand. This root is still preserved in the word "inaccessible." It is believed that such measures of length are very subjective, because the growth and size of the hands of all people are different. But despite this, beautiful temples and harmonious structures were built in Russia. With the introduction of the metric system of length in the USSR, the old measures were forgotten. Therefore, now rarely does anyone know, fathom is how much.
Ancient measures of length
Our ancestors measured the distance in steps or arshins, which amounted to 72 centimeters. In the measurement, the score was kept in pairs of steps — a simple fathom, or triples — a breech fathom. Long distances were measured in miles. In ancient times, this measure was also called the "field". Its length changed depending on the length of the fathoms and their number. The boundary and track versts also differed. The average distance of a mile away is a little more than a kilometer. How many fathoms in versts, it is impossible to determine exactly. Usually from 500 to 750, and in the middle of the 17th century a mile away of 1,000 fathoms was established.
Other measures were used to measure short distances. They measured the fabric with their elbows, so merchants chose sellers of small stature. Another very ancient measure of length is the span. It was equal to the distance between the tips of outstretched fingers: large and medium. This is approximately 19 to 23 centimeters. And the smallest measure of length - the top - almost 4.5 centimeters. This distance was measured with two fingers folded together - index and middle.
History of Russian sazhen
For a long time, scientists could not understand what measure the ancient Russian builders used. But after archaeologists found a stone on which was carved: "Gleb Prince measured. 10,000 and 4,000 sazhens", it was possible to calculate the value of sazhen in 151 centimeters. This coincided with the results of other Russian folk measures. There were several different sazhens that were used in various measurements and in construction. For this, special fenced ropes and wooden "folds" were made.
Now it’s hard to say, sazhen - how much? In the middle of the 17th century, an official treasury of 216 centimeters was adopted. It contained three arshins of 72 centimeters each. But Peter the Great equated Russian fathoms with English measures of length - and therefore the length of the arshin changed. She has decreased. And, accordingly, the length of the fathom became equal to 213 centimeters. And in 1924, these length measures completely went out of use, the metric system began to be used for measurements. The most common measure of length was 1 meter. It is difficult to say how many sazhenes were included in it. Much of the ancient knowledge has been lost, but scientists are gradually restoring ancient systems of measures.
Fathom is how much?
Initially, all Russian measures of length and distance were measured by the human body. And if the step and the elbow is understandable how much, how was the length of the fathom determined? If the breech was installed in accordance with the length of the arshin, then the most common "fly fathom" was determined by the distance between the arms of an adult male. It was approximately two and a half arshins or 176 centimeters. But this is the oldest measure of length, in accordance with which the bell tower of Ivan the Great was built in the Kremlin. Since the 17th century, it has been used only informally.
Different types of sazhenes in Russia
The origin of many of them is still unknown. It was believed that some appeared in Russia, while others were borrowed. For example, they say that church fathom, equal to 186 centimeters, is based on ancient Roman measures of length, the royal one is Egyptian, and the great one is Lithuanian. There was also Greek, which had a length of 230 centimeters. Also known are small, arshin, urban, state, simple and many others. They were not proportional and multiple to each other. It often even happened that different people used different types for measurements.
The most common fathoms
There were several popular species that everyone used. These are the most ancient: a simple fathom equal to 150 centimeters, folk or flywheel - 176 centimeters and oblique fathom - 248 centimeters. Its length was determined by the distance between the arm extended upward and the fingers of the opposite leg diagonally. This concept is preserved in the proverb "oblique fathom in the shoulders." So they talked about the heroes. There was still small fathom equal to the distance from the arm extended forward to the floor. It was equal to 142 centimeters. Therefore, it is very difficult to say: fathom is how many centimeters. First you need to decide what measure of length is involved.
How were fathoms used in Russia?
Wooden and rope measures were used when measuring distances, for example, to determine the size of a land plot and in construction. It often happened that each master had his own personal fathom. About 10 different species were common, all of which were not integers and were not multiple to each other. They were used mainly for measuring average values. Now one fathom is equated to two meters, but in general its size ranges from 142 to 248 centimeters. Therefore, those who are interested in how many fathoms in a meter ask a not entirely correct question.
Russian architecture
Despite the fact that they used different fathoms for construction in Russia, ancient temples and other structures amaze with amazing harmony and proportionality. Why is this so? During the construction of buildings, ancient architects relied on natural proportions. What principles were applied in construction?
The length of the walls and the height of the buildings consisted of a whole number of fathoms. This was in accordance with the principles of the Golden Section.
For construction, not one, but several fathoms have always been used. One for measuring the width of the building, the other for length. The height was determined using the third fathom, and the interior was planned for the fourth. If the building had another floor, then when it was erected, they again used a different fathom.
Another feature - during construction, obtaining smaller measures of length was carried out by dividing the fathom into two. It turned out half-growth, a quarter-fathom (or elbow), one-eighth (span), and one thirty-second (apices).
Why ancient buildings seem so harmonious
Despite the complexity of the calculations and the use of different fathom systems, ancient structures still delight people with their proportionality and aesthetic perfection. Anyone feels comfortable in them, because they are built using human proportions. And it doesn’t matter that the fathoms did not have a definite constant value. Each of them came from measurements made with the palms, elbows, arms, or legs of a person.
All ancient buildings seem surprisingly harmonious and proportional also because when they were divided, the natural three-part principle was used, and not the modern two-part principle. In addition, scientists have found that the ratio of longer fathoms to small ones corresponds to the "golden ratio". Moreover, this number is calculated with an accuracy of four decimal places.
Modern people are familiar with the concept of "sazhen", mainly from the works of Russian classics or from proverbs. In addition to the expression "oblique sazhen in the shoulders", such as "you are from work for a week, and it is from you - for a sazhenka", "logs to logs - sazhen" and some others are used. Therefore, it is not surprising that many are interested in the question: how much is a fathom? Although, in fact, a definite answer to it is impossible to give.