Question

How people in ancient times measured length, mass and time?

Answer 1

Length was typically measured by body parts. The daktylos (δάκτυλος in Greek alphabet) was the width of a finger - about 3/4 of an inch. The pous (πούς) was a foot and the pēchys or cubit was the distance from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow. Longer distances were measure by the stadion (στάδιον), 600 pous, and the length of a sports stadium.


Small weights were measured by grains of wheat - and an obol (ὀβολός) was 12 grains. The obol was also used as currency being the value of one obol of silver. A mina was 600 obols and a talent was 60 Mina - equivalent to about 60 pounds or 25Kg.


Time was measured by sundials and the day split into 12 hours, the length of which varied by the seasons. The calendar was based on lunar months - and a “leap” month had to be added every second year to keep the seasons at the right time.