ANCIENT LENGTH MEASURES
Turyak Christina gr.81 OGOU NPO
Vocational school No. 4 in Tulun
Supervisor- Tayurskaya L.F., mathematics teacher
As children, we often hear proverbs that use ancient words. For example: “Two inches from the pot, and already a pointer”, “Seven spans in the forehead”, “Each merchant measures his own arshin”, “An oblique fathom in the shoulders”, “Kolomenskaya verst”.
In literature lessons we study classical works in which ancient words are found, and in mathematics lessons we study various units of measurement.
I.S. Turgenev describes his hero at the beginning of the story “Mu-Mu” as follows: “Of all her (the lady’s) servants, the most remarkable person was the janitor Gerasim, a man twelve inches tall, built like a hero and deaf-mute from birth.”
From the work we know that Gerasim is a hero, but I was interested: how tall was he? What do the words “twelve inches tall” mean? What is a vershok?
To learn about these and other ancient measures of length, I decided to do this math work.
To distant historical times man had to gradually comprehend not only the art of counting, but also measurement. When our ancestor, an ancient but already thinking one, tried to find a cave for himself, he was forced to measure the length, width and height of his future shelter with his own height. But this is what measurement is. When making the simplest tools, building houses, getting food, there is a need to measure distances, and then areas, containers, mass, time. Our ancestor had only his own height, the length of his arms and legs. And if when counting a person used his fingers and toes, then when measuring distances he used his arms and legs. There was no people who did not invent their own units of measurement.
Many of the units of length used by our ancestors are measurements various parts human body. A person always carries them with him and can use them in any conditions.
Let's look at the most common old measures, references to which are often found in our speech.
First units of length
The first units for measuring quantities were not very accurate. For example, distances were measured in steps.
Step- the average length of a human step is 71 cm. One of the oldest measures of length. Information has been preserved on the use of step to determine the distance between cities in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Egypt, Persia. Pitch as a measure of length is still used today. There is even a special pedometer device, similar to a pocket watch, which automatically counts the number of steps a person has taken.
The distance at which the opponents were supposed to converge during the duel was measured in steps. So, from a distance of 10 steps on the Chernaya River near St. Petersburg on January 27, 1837, in a duel, Dantes shot at A.S. Pushkin and mortally wounded him. In 1841, on July 15, not far from Pyatigorsk, Martynov fired his fatal shot from a distance of 15 steps and killed M.Yu. Lermontov.
Of course different people The step size is different, but we took some average value. The pitch was too small a unit for measuring large distances. To achieve this, in ancient times they used other measures based on the same step. For example, ancient Roman mile was equal to 1000 steps. In many Mediterranean countries in the 1st millennium BC. taken as a measure of length stages. This is the distance that a person walked at a calm pace during the period of time measured from the appearance of the first ray of the sun at dawn until the full solar disk appears above the horizon.
Long distances were measured transitions or days of movement. In J. London’s story “White Silence,” the Indian, when asked how much time is left to travel, replies: “You’re going 10 dreams, 20 dreams, 40 dreams” (that is, 24 hours).
Estonian sailors measured the distance tubes. This was their name for the distance traveled by a ship at normal speed during the time it took to smoke a pipe filled with tobacco. In Spain, the same measure of distance was cigar, and in Japan - horse shoe. This was the name given to the path taken by a horse until the straw sole tied to its feet, which replaced a horseshoe in this country, wears out.
Many peoples had a measure of distance arrow – arrow flight range. But this measure depends on the strength of the shooter. After all, in the Greek poem “Odyssey” it is said that Odysseus easily shot a bow that no one else could even bend. Now we say “Don’t let a cannon fire.” But different guns fire at different distances.
Units of length in Russia
Let us recall the description of I.S. Turgenev of his hero at the beginning of the story “Mu-Mu”: “... the janitor Gerasim, a man twelve inches tall, built like a hero and deaf-mute from birth.” What do the words “twelve inches tall” mean? What is a vershok? Let's call on the dictionary to help and find out that
Vershok- an ancient Russian measure of length equal to the width of two fingers (index and middle).
1 vershok = 1/16 arshin = 1.75 inches = 44.45 mm = 4.44 cm. Found in proverbs: “Two inches from the pot, and already a pointer.”
It turns out that Turgenev’s hero was only 53 centimeters tall? What, is he a dwarf? Something is wrong here. It turns out that in the 19th century it was well known that a person’s height was often determined in vershoks above those required for normal person two arshins. This meaning was not directly expressed, but implied. Turgenev counted on our knowledge of the situation. However, one and a half centuries separating us from the time of creation classical works Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenev, created a situation in which we do not understand the meaning of many words and even entire fragments of text.
Arshin- measure arshin came into use as a result of the development of trade with eastern peoples (from Persian arsh – elbow ). It is equal to 71 cm 12 mm. He came to Rus' together with merchants from distant countries. Merchants brought unprecedented fabrics: the finest Chinese silks, heavy Indian brocade made from real gold and silver threads, velvet, etc. Eastern merchants, measuring fabrics, did without any meters: they pulled the fabric over their own hand, up to the shoulder. That's what it was called measure by arshins .
Although the measure was very convenient - you always have your hands with you - it had a significant drawback: unfortunately, everyone’s hands are different. Some had them long, others short. The cunning merchants quickly realized that they needed to look for clerks with shorter arms: the same piece, but more arshins.
But one day this came to an end. Selling “at your own yard” was strictly prohibited by the authorities. Only government-issued arshins were allowed to be consumed.
State arshin- a ruler, the length of someone’s hand, was made in Moscow, then copies were made from it and sent to all parts of Russia. To prevent the wooden arshin from being shortened, its ends were bound with iron and marked with a seal.
Tens of years are no longer measured in arshins, but this word has not been forgotten. Until now, they say about a discerning person: “He sees three arshins underground,” and about a person who judges everything only by himself, “He measures by his own arshin.” Arshin lived a long life. IN mid-19th century, Gogol's mayor shouted to the merchants: “What, samovar makers, arshinniks, should we complain?” The first years of Soviet power measured calico with the same old yardstick.
After we have considered these units of length, we can find out the exact height of Gerasim: 2 arshins + 12 vershoks = 71*2+ 53=195 cm. = 1m 95 cm.
There are other ancient measures of length.
The oldest mention of
Fathoms(from sue - to reach something, to achieve) is found in the “Tale of the Beginning of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery” and dates back to the 11th century. In everyday life there were different fathoms - flywheel and oblique. So,
Flywheel– the distance between the arms outstretched in both directions along the ends of the outstretched middle fingers; 1 fly fathom – 1m 76 cm.
Oblique– from the heel of the right foot to the tips of the fingers of the left hand extended upward, i.e. about 248 cm.
Sometimes they say about a person: “There are oblique fathoms in the shoulders.”
To measure long distances it was used
Verst
or field- Russian travel measure. Versta - from the word twirl. Initially, the distance from one turn of the plow to another during plowing. The length of the verst is 1060 m. The verst as a measure of length has been used in Rus' since the 11th century.
Kolomenskayaverst– “big guy” - a very humorous name tall man. It originates from the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who reigned from 1645 to 1676.
Mezhevayaverst existed in Rus' until the 18th century. to determine the distance between settlements and for land surveying (from the word boundary - the border of land holdings in the form of a narrow strip). The length of such a mile is 1000 fathoms, or 2.13 km.
Moscow is miles away, but close to the heart,” “Love is not measured by miles,” “A mile closer is a nickel cheaper,” “You’ll be a mile behind, but you won’t be able to catch up by ten,” “Seven miles is not a detour for a young man,” “You can see him a mile away.”
But who are they talking about in the proverb “Seven spans in the forehead”?
Of course, about an extremely smart, intelligent person who easily understands the most complicated issues. It was believed that the height of such a person’s forehead was proportional to his intelligence. According to some linguists, this expression is based on the idea that a person’s mental abilities are determined by the height of his forehead. Obviously, this phraseology is nothing more than an exaggeration. For what is a span, of which the smart guy has as many as seven on his forehead?
Span (or span)- an ancient measure of length, equal to approximately a quarter of an arshin, that is, a fourth of 71.1 cm. Simple calculations show that there were about 18 centimeters in a span.
This is in the “smaller span,” which was equal to the distance between the tips of the extended thumb and index fingers, and in the “larger span,” which was counted by spreading the thumb and middle fingers, it could be up to 20 centimeters. It is hardly possible to imagine a person with a forehead about one and a half meters high. Of course, the number seven is used here in a generalized symbolic meaning.
The Old Russian “span” goes back to the common Slavic verb “five” - to stretch. Hence the words related to span: hoop (a tool for stretching) and crucify (stretch), crucify (stretch).
Line– a very small ancient unit of length equal to 2.54 mm (0.1 in) or the width of a grain of wheat.
In Russia, two types of objects were measured with lines.
The first is the diameter of the lower part (neck) of the glass of a kerosene lamp. Just 50 years ago, a kerosene lamp illuminated many village houses. Many of us haven't even seen it. But many village residents still have lamps. And even now they are sold in stores.
Glass was placed on top of each lamp - without it the lamp could not be used. Like all glass things, lamp glasses broke, so they were made in large quantities. The size of the glass - the lower diameter - was measured in lines. There were small lamps - with five or eight-line glasses, and there were large ones - with twenty lines. Now there are almost no kerosene lamps left, although they are still sold in stores.
The second type of objects measured by lines is firearms. The lines measured the caliber of a rifle or machine gun: the diameter of the channel along which the bullet moves before leaving the barrel.
Rifles appeared in the Russian army more than a hundred years ago. At first they were six linear. The bullets were difficult to carry due to their heaviness - each diameter was more than one and a half centimeters. Therefore, the six-line rifle was replaced with a four-line Berdan. In 1891, the Berdanka was replaced by the famous Russian three linear rifle. The machine guns had the same caliber.
Measurements are made in millimeters and their caliber is 7.62 mm (2.54 x 3 = 7.62).
The caliber of rifles and machine guns was no longer measured in lines. But even now the lines are used in watch factories. True, the lines are different. The caliber was measured in Russian, and the watch is measured in Swiss, measuring 2.08mm.
The men's watch "Pobeda" has a size of 12 lines, and the women's watch "Zarya" has a size of 8 lines.
Western measures of length
In the 18th century Russia began to trade more with Western Europe. Measures were needed that would be easier to compare with Western measures. The metrological reform of Peter I allowed English measures to be used in Russia, which became especially widespread in the navy and in shipbuilding - yards, feet, inches.
One old legend says that yard was defined in 101 as the distance from the nose of the English king Henry I to the tip of the middle finger of his outstretched hand. The length of a yard is currently approximately 0.91 meters.
However, it should be noted that no documentary evidence of the origin of the yard mentioned here has survived. According to another legend, the prototype of the length of a yard was the length of Henry's sword. 
Foot was defined as one third of a yard. A foot is the average length of a person's foot ( English word « foot " - sole). On one Sunday in 1324, another king, Edward II, ordered that 1 foot be determined as the arithmetic mean of “the length of the feet of 16 people.” Since then, 1 foot = 30.48 cm, and 1 yard = 3 feet = 91.44 cm.
In the 16th century, the mathematician Claudius, one of the main contributors to the creation of our (Gregorian) calendar, defines a geometric foot as the width of 64 grains of barley. This definition of the foot represents a great clarification of this measure, because the width of the grain is much more constant and defined than its length.
Inch - (from the Dutch word - thumb). He equal to length phalanges of the thumb or the length of three dry grains of barley, taken from the middle part of the ear and placed one against the other with their ends. 1 inch=2.54 cm = 10 lines.
Currently used to measure the internal diameter measurement of pipes, car tires, thickness of boards, etc.
System of measures
To facilitate calculations, tables of measures and relationships between Russian and foreign measures were published. In connection with the development of trade, there is a need to establish clear correspondences between different measures. Under Peter I, Russian measures were brought into a certain system. She looked like this:
1 verst = 500 fathoms (1.06 km);
1 fathom = 3 arshins = 7 feet (2.13 m);
1 arshin = 16 vershok = 28 inches (0.71 m);
1 vershok = 4.45 cm;
1 pood = 40 pounds (16.4 kg);
1 lb = 96 spools (410 g);
1 spool = 4.3 g.
1 mile = 7 versts (7.47 km)
1 foot = 12 inches (30.48 cm)
1 inch = 10 lines (2.54 cm)
But, despite the royal decree, a wide variety of measures of length, area, and volume were used everywhere. Dozens of different “feet”, “miles”, and a huge number of volume measures were used. Only the transition to the metric system in 1918 put an end to this confusion.
Since then, the old measures have not been applied in practice. But they can often be found in stories and novels, in history books. When you come across such measures, remember my story about how they measured in the old days.
I think that the work I have done is interesting from an educational point of view. I became more familiar with ancient Russian units of measurement and learned where they are used in mathematics. Considered the use of ancient units in oral folk art - proverbs and sayings. Proverbs and sayings are short, but apt and expressive. A selection of poems with ancient units of measurement shows how much the heritage of our ancestors means to us. Most of the old measures have been forgotten and fallen out of use, but many of them appear in literary works, historical monuments. They are found in ancient buildings, in ancient recipes for medicines and all kinds of foods. The Mers lived, sometimes grew old and died, sometimes were reborn to a new life. The history of measures is the history of trade, crafts, Agriculture and construction, the development of mathematics, and ultimately - this is part of the history of mankind. Summing up the work, I come to the conclusion about the relevance of this topic. How did the measures appear, how did they change, what did they bring to the people and how did they influence their lives? This is still interesting today.
Application
Proverbs and sayings that mention various measures
"One like a finger"- a person who has no relatives, no relatives, no friends.
“Don't point your finger at people! They wouldn’t point a pole at you!”- If you accuse someone (point a finger at him), then they may accuse you of something worse or do it in an even more rude manner.
“Two inches from the pot, and already the pointer”- a young man who has no life experience, but arrogantly teaches everyone.
“Her Saturday has gone up two inches from Friday.”- about a sloppy woman whose undershirt is longer than her skirt.
"Don't give up an inch"- not to give even the smallest amount
"Seven spans in the forehead"- about very smart person.
“He’s as big as a fingernail, and his beard is as long as his elbow.”- about a person of unenviable appearance, but enjoying authority due to his intelligence, social status or life experience. Before Peter the Great, a beard was considered an honorable attribute of a man. A long, well-groomed beard served as a sign of wealth and nobility.
“Every merchant measures with his own yardstick”- everyone judges any matter one-sidedly, based on their own interests.
“He sits and walks as if he could swallow a yardstick.”- about an unnaturally straight person
“He found out what a pound is worth”, - this is what they say about a person who has suffered a lot of adversity.
“An arshin’s worth of beard, but an inch’s worth of intelligence”- about an adult, but stupid person.
“Oblique fathoms in the shoulders”- broad-shouldered, tall man.
“He sees three arshins into the ground”- an attentive, perspicacious person from whom nothing can be hidden.
“Log to log – fathom”– about the accumulation of reserves and wealth through savings.
"Kolomenskaya Versta"- a humorous nickname for a tall person. This expression appeared during the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (reigned 1645 - 1676). He ordered that pillars be placed along the road from Moscow (more precisely, from its Kaluga outpost) to his summer palace in the village of Kolomenskoye at a distance of 700 fathoms from each other. High, about two fathoms, i.e. approximately 4 m., with eagles at the top, these pillars had such a great impression on ordinary people that forever remained in popular speech.
“Moscow is miles away, but close to the heart”- this is how Russian people characterized their attitude towards the capital.
“Love is not measured by miles. A hundred miles is no detour for a young man.”- distance cannot be an obstacle to love.
“From word to deed – a whole mile”
“A mile closer – a nickel cheaper”
“If you fall behind by a mile, you’ll catch up by ten”-even a small lag is very difficult to overcome
"By leaps and bounds"- rapid growth, good development of something.
"Small spool but precious" This is what they say about something seemingly insignificant, but very valuable.
“Your own spool is worth more than someone else’s pound”
“The bad comes down in pounds, and the good drops in spools”
“You’ll take a lot of grief off your shoulders, and you’ll choke on a spool.”- even an insignificant danger should not be neglected.
“Hay is worth pounds, and gold is worth spools”- each thing has its own specific value.
“You know a person when you eat a ton of salt with him.”- It takes a lot of time to understand another person.
"Dozen goods"- a simple product, ordinary, unoriginal.
“They put your brother thirteen to a dozen, and even then they don’t take him.”- an offensive characteristic of a lazy, incapable worker. There are even 13 people like this instead of 12, and no one needs it.
POEMS IN WHICH OLD RUSSIAN UNITS OF MEASUREMENT ARE FOUND
“Perhaps point out a flaw?
Take one minute!
You're busy?
I'll be very brief:
Only eighteen feet!»
(Dmitry Kedrin)
That half-takeoff and collapse,
That's half a sigh and half a wave,
And, like foam falling,
Giving up the goal in two steps.
(Alexander Kushner)
Since that memorable morning
Dorosh became stooped.
He scored his birdie
Not with salt, but with a bullet.
And the road to the city -
Three miles, not far away,
Put on Molibog's uniform,
I put on medals...
(Dmitry Kedrin)
I'm twirling a handkerchief
I shout far away:
It's my fault
Over a hundred verst visible
(Svetlana Kuznetsova)
And the grass is crushed by the spring thunderstorm,
The heavy and warm earth breathes,
The blue ones walk in the pool of catfish,
Polarishinnymi moving his mustache.
(Boris Kornilov)
I can't imagine something like this,
And my words are simple -
I was born in the village of Dyakovo,
from Semenov - three versts.
(Boris Kornilov)
No, no, Siberia is not just a word.
Not a shift verst. Not their repeat.
No, this is the basis for everything
Soul! And then - space...
(Sergey Ostrovsky)
There is no retreat!
And it won't
Even spans native land
It's up to you.
still wakes me up
Wind of youth.
(Alexander Loginov)
They rang the bell
The songs howled...
The sultry sky is bursting,
A hundred kulaks took pitchforks,
One hundred middle peasant households.
And the green flap is planted
On the horn, blossomed, ringing,
And danced from the ground to fathom
Golden Bush of Fire
(Boris Kornilov)
And isn't it better as before?
Throw out the sabers with a whistle,
Cavalry against the communists?
Who will climb elbow
Broken, but unfinished -
Hit him in the face with your hoof!..
(Boris Kornilov)
Now there is one estate
In Russia, the fascist:
Fathom land. Grave cross.
Crow's pastures nearby
And the wind in the clean field.
(Peter Komarov)
In the houses where the ancestors fought
And they died, trampling down death with death,
Eternally voiced in the noise of grass.
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In ancient times, even before the advent of modern measuring instruments, people used to determine the mass, length and volume of body parts. Thus, the distance from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow was called “elbow”, and to the shoulder - arshin. The weight of the coin called “zlatnik” indicated a new measure of weight - about 4.3 g. And the span (the distance from the extended index finger to the thumb) for a long time measured icons, snow cover thickness, etc.
Today ancient measures, such as fathom, vershok, zolotnik, arshin, are not used in practice. But the words denoting them remained to live in the Russian language, in proverbs and sayings. Proverbs about ancient measures of mass, length and volume we actively use them in colloquial speech:
- Small spool but precious.
- You recognize a person when you eat a ton of salt with him.
- From the pot - three inches.
In most expressions, ancient measures are mentioned in a figurative sense:
- Two inches from the pot, and already a pointer.
And others (if you think about it) can act in the literal sense:
- A beard as long as a beard, but a mind as long as an inch.
In this article we tried to collect all sayings and proverbs that mention ancient measures of length and mass. It turned out to be a rich list! It will help you find the right expression for study and self-development 😉
Proverbs that mention ancient measures of length
Elbow(distance from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow, from 38 cm to 46 cm, see picture)
He's as tall as a fingernail, and his beard is as long as his elbow.
Lived like an elbow, but lived like a fingernail.
The nose is big, but the mind is a handful.
The nose is as big as an elbow, and the mind is as big as a fingernail.
If you say it on the nail, they will tell it from the elbow.
Span(distance from extended index finger to thumb, about 18 cm)
Seven spans in the forehead. (about a very smart person)
You won't give in an inch.
If you give in an inch, you will lose a fathom.
Piece by piece, but not a fathom was left.
Step(the length of a human step was 71 cm)
He stepped forward and conquered the kingdom.
No step back!
Go by leaps and bounds.
Arshin(equal to the length of the arm, that is, the distance from the tip of the middle finger to the shoulder joint, about 72 cm)
Measure to your own yardstick.
Each merchant measures with his own yardstick.
He sits and walks as if he had swallowed an arshin.
A beard as long as a beard, but a mind as long as an inch.
Don’t measure by your own yardstick.
An arshin for a caftan, and two for patches.
He sees three arshins into the ground.
You are an inch away from the case, and it is an arshin away from you.
Verst(distance just over a kilometer - 1066.8 m)
Kolomenskaya verst. (a humorous name for a very tall person)
Moscow is miles away, but close to the heart.
Love is not measured by miles.
From word to deed - a whole mile.
A mile closer, a nickel cheaper.
Seven miles is not a detour for a young man.
If you fall behind by a mile, you'll catch up by ten.
He lies seven miles to heaven, all through forest.
They were looking for a mosquito for seven miles, and the mosquito was on their nose.
A hunter walks seven miles away to sip jelly.
Stretch a mile, but don’t be easy.
From thought to thought five thousand miles.
Write about other people's sins in arshins, and about your own - in lowercase letters.
You can see him a mile away.
Vershok(originally equal to the length of the main phalanx of the index finger, the name comes from the word “top”, that is, “the upper extremity of something, top, top”, later 1 vershok = 4 nails, which is 44.45 mm)
One inch forward - and everything is dark.
If you plow an inch deeper, you will endure five days of drought.
The beard is as long as an inch, and the words are as long as a bag.
Two inches (or half an inch) from the pot, and already a pointer.
Her Saturday after Friday has slipped by two inches.
From the pot - three inches.
mile(1 mile = 7 versts, which is about 7.5 km)
By leaps and bounds.
Fathom(equal to 213.36 cm)
Oblique fathoms in the shoulders.
Log to log - fathom.
You are a span away from the truth, and it is a fathom away from you.
You give in an inch, but they pull you a fathom.
You are only a few steps away from the business, and it is a fathom away from you.
Piece by piece, but a fathom is gone
You have lived a fathom, but you have only an inch to live.
Proverbs that mention ancient measures of mass
Spool(comes from “zlatnik” - the name of the coin, weight about 4.3 g, in ancient times it served as a unit of weight for precious metals and stones)
Small spool but precious.
Health (fame) comes in gold and goes away in pounds.
The spool is small, but it weighs gold; the camel is large, but it carries water.
Trouble (grief, misfortune, misfortune) comes in pounds, and goes away in gold.
Pud(equal to 40 pounds or 16 kilograms with tail)
It saves a pound of grain.
You recognize a person when you eat a ton of salt with him.
Hay is worth pounds, and gold is worth spools (that is, each thing has its own specific value).
You can light a candle for this.
It saves a pound of grain.
Your own spool is more expensive than someone else's.
The bad comes out by the pound, and the good drops in the spools.
You will recognize a person as long as you eat a ton of salt with him.
You will take a lot of grief off your shoulders, but you will choke on a spool (that is, you should not neglect even an insignificant danger).
Lb(old Russian unit of weight, equal to 409.5 g or 96 spools)
That's a pound! (expresses disappointment or surprise)
This is not a pound of raisins for you (a humorous expression about some difficult matter)
A pound must yield” (i.e., one must have respect for elders, more knowledgeable, experienced).
Find out how much a pound is worth.
Proverbs that mention ancient measures of volume
There were the following measures of bulk solids (grain measures):
- tsebra, tub (kad, okov), sack, polokova, ladle, quarter, chet, octine, half-cut, four, half-four, four, garnets, small four, half-four, glass.
and measures of liquid bodies (wine measures):
- barrel, pot, bucket, quarter (buckets), garnets, shtof (mug), wine bottle, vodka (beer) bottle, bottle, braid, glass, chetushka, cup, scale.
We were able to find very few proverbs that mention ancient measures of volume:
- A glass of wine will make you smarter, but a second and a third will drive you crazy.
- You can't measure the wind with buckets, you can't catch the sun in a bag.
- A great warrior with a glass of wine.
- Some get a glass, some get two, and the fascist gets hit on the head with a stone.
- Whoever has the ladle gets the fat.
- A bottle of vodka and a herring tail.
- A sin is the size of a nut, a cannonball is the size of a bucket.
- The wind will not be measured by buckets.
Proverbs with the word "measure"
You can't weave a bast without measure.
Even a horse does not gallop beyond measure.
To know according to the master's standards.
Don’t measure by your own yardstick.
They love money, but bread in measure.
The count will not lie, and the measure will not deceive.
Some bast shoes weave without measure, but they fit on every foot.
Try it on seven times, cut it once.
Measure is faith in every matter.
The grandmother measured it with a hook, but waved her hand: to be as old as it was set.
Without weight, without measure, there is no faith.
Measure to your own yardstick.
Characterize various characters and features. Thanks to them, it is easy to note even the distinctive characteristics of a person. For example, using the expression “two inches from the pot.” The meaning of phraseological units is probably known to many. Nevertheless, we will look at it and note not only the interpretation, but also the origin of the expression. We will also select words that are close and opposite in definition.
“Two inches from the pot”: the meaning of phraseology
For more precise definition expressions let's turn to explanatory dictionary S. I. Ozhegov and phraseological - Stepanova M. I. Sergei Ivanovich gives the following interpretation of phraseological units when considering the word “top”: “about someone who is still very small.” He also noted that the expression is humorous and used in a conversational style.
The phraseological dictionary gives the following definition: “very short stature (about a person).” It is noted that the expression is colloquial and humorous.
Thus, we can conclude that both linguists gave similar definitions to the stable combination of words “two inches from the pot.” The meaning of the phraseological unit in one word is small.
Origin of the expression
The etymology of the phraseological unit is associated with the smallest unit of the Russian metric system - the vershok. It is equal to 4.4 cm. It can be found in various stable combinations of words. In them, this measure is used to designate what is very close. For example, to be an inch away from death, to be an inch away from sin, etc.
The expression we are considering does not have a specific author. This is a folk saying that has become popular and has survived to this day.
Vershok was a measure of a person's height. However, it is worth noting that arshins were also used for this. Typically, people were measured in the following way. To two arshins, which is 144 cm, they added vershki, and they called exactly the number of vershok that was added to these 144 cm. Let’s say a person’s height was 153 cm. In this case, they said that there were 2 vershoks in him.
These were the features of measurement in Rus'. This is where the expression “two inches from the pot” comes from.
We examined the meaning of phraseology and its etymology. Let's choose words and combinations of words that are close and opposite in interpretation.
Synonyms and antonyms
For the selection of words for the expression “two inches from the pot,” the meaning of the phraseological unit plays a big role. As we noted, this is a stable combination o And this means that the following synonyms can be selected for it: short, low, short, undersized, short. These adjectives reveal the definition of “two inches from the pot”, the meaning of the phraseological unit.
The antonym for this expression is tall. The following words and their combinations are also opposite to the phraseological unit under consideration: tall, big, lanky.
Use
The expression is used to indicate vertically challenged or a child. It is used, as a rule, in literature and the media. In journalism, they are used as headlines, for example, in articles about potty training children. It turns out to be a kind of play on words to attract the attention of readers.
The expression is still popular. It is used figuratively and even literally.
“A slanting fathom in the shoulders,” “we won’t give in an inch native land", "measure everything with your yardstick", "from a pot - two inches", "for a mad dog, seven miles is not a circle", these words remained forever in the Russian language, but their exact meaning has long been forgotten. We will try to remind the reader about ancient measures lengths that have become part of Russian sayings and let's talk about why it is so difficult for foreigners to learn Russian.
VERSTA is an old Russian travel measure (its early name was “field”). This word originally referred to the distance traveled from one turn of the plow to another during plowing. Before Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, 1 verst was considered 1000 fathoms. Under Peter the Great, one verst was equal to 500 fathoms, in modern terms - 213.36 X 500 = 1066.8 m. “Verstoy” was also called a milepost on the road. The size of the verst changed repeatedly depending on the number of fathoms included in it and the size of the fathom. The Code of 1649 established a “boundary mile” of 1 thousand fathoms. Later, in the 18th century, along with it, a “travel mile” of 500 fathoms (“five hundredth mile”) began to be used. “Catch up” - measure in length (old) “Catch up” - catch up, hurry.
ARSHIN is an ancient Russian measure of length, equal, in modern terms, to 0.7112 m. There are different versions of the origin of the arshin measure of length. Perhaps, initially, “arshin” denoted the length of a human step (about seventy centimeters, with normal walking on the plain, at an average pace) and was the base value for other large measures of determining length, distances (fathom, verst). The root “AR” in the word a rsh i n - in the Old Russian language (and in other neighboring peoples) means “EARTH”, “surface of the earth”, “furrow” and indicates that this measure could be used in determining the length distance traveled on foot. There was another name for this measure - STEP.
Merchants, when selling goods, as a rule, measured it with their arshin (ruler) or quickly - measuring ‘from the shoulder’. To eliminate measurement, the authorities introduced as a standard the “official arshin,” which is a wooden ruler on which divisions in vershoks were usually applied. Metal tips with the state mark were riveted onto the ends of the ruler.
| Growth in Vershki | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 15 |
| Height in meters | 1,47 | 1,56 | 1,65 | 1,73 | 1,82 | 1,87 | 2,09 |
Poems on the topic. Distance: versts, miles.../M. Tsvetaeva/Musical composition used: "Evanthia Reboutsika - Lonely Child"!
Russian proverbs are so difficult for foreigners to understand also because Russians and their language are generally difficult to understand for people who are strangers to us. Here is an example of this, which I found in the wilds of the Internet.
There is a table in front of us. There is a glass and a fork on the table. What are they doing? The glass is standing, but the fork is lying down. If we stick a fork into the tabletop, the fork will stand. That is, vertical objects stand and horizontal objects lie? Add a plate and a frying pan to the table. They seem to be horizontal, but they stand on the table. Now put the plate in the frying pan. There it lies, but it was on the table. Maybe there are items ready for use? No, the fork was ready when it was lying there. Now the cat climbs onto the table. She can stand, sit and lie down. If in terms of standing and lying down it somehow fits into the “vertical-horizontal” logic, then sitting is a new property. She sits on her butt. Now a bird has landed on the table. She sits on the table, but sits on her legs, not on her butt. Although it seems like it should be standing. But she cannot stand at all. But if we kill the poor bird and make a stuffed animal, it will stand on the table. It may seem that sitting is an attribute of a living thing, but the boot also sits on the foot, although it is not alive and does not have a butt. So, go and understand what is standing, what is lying down, and what is sitting. And we are also surprised that foreigners consider the Russian language difficult and compare it with Chinese.
The text of the work is posted without images and formulas.
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1. Introduction
In distant historical times, man had to gradually comprehend not only the art of counting, but also measurement. When making the simplest tools, building houses, getting food, there is a need to measure distances, and then areas, containers, mass, time. Our ancestor had only his own height, the length of his arms and legs. If a person is counting
If he used his fingers and toes, then his arms and legs were used to measure distances.
Nowadays, without thinking, we make calculations in meters, centimeters, kilometers, etc. This is convenient, a single measurement system suits almost everyone. But, of course, this was not always the case. Starting from the ancient times of paganism, right up to the 19th century, our ancestors used other measures and units. We often hear the words: inch, fathom, but we don’t know how much this is translated into familiar units of length.
Relevance of the chosen topic: I became interested in “unusual” measures of length, which were repeatedly mentioned in literary works (inch in the work of G.H. Andersen, sazhen in Russian folk tales and so on.). And I decided to learn more about these measures and establish the relationship between the old and new measuring systems.
Purpose of the study: study ancient measures of length, compare them with the new measuring system
Hypothesis: Is it possible to use ancient measures of length at the present time, how accurate and perfect are they?
Subject of study: old Russian measures of length.
Tasks:
Get acquainted with the measuring system that existed previously; - establish the relationship between the old measuring system and the new one;
Trace the reflection of old measures in Russian folklore.
Research methods:
Analysis of the literature used;- practical work(measurement of distance, height, height, length, in ancient units);
Searching for information on the global Internet;
Consultations with a specialist in the field of mathematics.
2. Main part
Since ancient times, the measure of length and weight has always been a person: how far he can stretch his arm, how much he can lift on his shoulders, etc.
The system of Old Russian measures of length included the following basic measures: verst, fathom, arshin, elbow, span and vershok.
2.1Arshin
Arshin is an ancient Russian measure of length (from the Persian word “arsh” - “elbow”), which was equal to 71 cm. It is measured from the middle finger to the shoulder. Hence the saying “Measure by your own yardstick.” An arshin was divided into 16 vershoks. When they talked about a person’s height, they only indicated how many vershoks he exceeded 2 arshins. Therefore, the words “a man 12 inches tall” meant that his height was 2 arshins 12 inches, that is, 196 cm. 3 arshins was a fathom. Arshin was also the name given to a measuring ruler, on which divisions in vershoks were usually applied.
There are different versions of the origin of the arshin measure of length. Perhaps, initially, “arshin” denoted the length of a human step (about seventy centimeters, when walking on the plain, at an average pace) and was the base value for other large measures of determining length, distances (fathom, verst). The root "AR" in the word a r sh i n - in the Old Russian language (and in other neighboring ones) means "EARTH", "surface of the earth", and indicates that this measure could be used in determining the length of the path traveled on foot. There was another name for this measure STEP.
Merchants, when selling goods, as a rule, measured it with their arshin (ruler) or quickly measuring it “from the shoulder.” To avoid oversizing,
The authorities introduced, as a standard, the “official arshin”, which is a wooden ruler with metal tips with a state mark riveted at the ends. STEP - the average length of a human step = 71 cm. One of the oldest measures of length.
“Every merchant measures by his own arshin” - about a person who judges everything by himself, based on his own interests, each merchant measures by his own 71 cm.
2.2. Verst
Verct - from the word vert, an old Russian travel measure (its early name was “field”). This word originally referred to the distance traveled from one turn of the plow to another during plowing. The two names have long been used in parallel, as synonyms. There are known mentions in written sources of the 11th century. In manuscripts of the 15th century. there is a record: “the field is 7 hundred fathoms and 50 fathoms” (750 fathoms long). Before Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, 1 verst was considered 1000 fathoms. Under Peter the Great, one verst was equal to 500 fathoms, in modern terms - 213.36 X 500 = 1066.8 m. “Verstoy” was also called a milepost on the road.
Boundary mile- (from the word boundary - the border of land holdings in the form of a narrow strip) is an old Russian unit of measurement equal to two versts. A verst of 1000 fathoms (2.16 km) was widely used as a boundary measure, usually when determining pastures around large cities, and on the outskirts of Russia, especially in Siberia, and to measure distances between populated areas.
Kolomenskaya verst- “Big” is a humorous name for a very tall person. It dates back to the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who reigned from 1545 to 1576. He ordered that pillars with hordes on top be placed along the road leading from the Kaluga outpost of Moscow to the summer palace in the village of Kolomenskoye, at a distance of 700 fathoms from each other. The height of each of them was approximately two fathoms (4 meters).
“From word to deed is a whole mile away” - that’s what they say to make a person brag
done by deed, not by words, from word to deed - 1.067 km.
2.3. Elbow
Elbow- the original Old Russian measure of length, known already in the 11th century, was equal to the length of the arm from the fingers to the elbow in a straight line. The size of this ancient measure of length, according to various sources, ranged from 38 to 47 cm. Since the 16th century, it was gradually replaced by the arshin and in the 19th century it was almost not used. The value of the Old Russian cubit of 10.25-10.5 vershoks (on average approximately 46-47 cm) was obtained from a comparison of measurements in the Jerusalem Temple made by Abbot Daniel, and later measurements of the same dimensions in an exact copy of this temple in the main temple of the New Jerusalem Monastery on Istra River (XVII century). It was used in peasant farming when it was necessary to measure the length of home-made woolen yarn or hemp rope (such products were wound around an elbow). The cubit was widely used in trade as a particularly convenient measure. IN retail trade canvas, cloth, linen - the cubit was the main measure. In a large wholesale trade- linen, cloth, etc., came in the form of large sections of “postavs”, the length of which is different time and in different places it ranged from 30 to 60 cubits (in places of trade these measures had a specific, well-defined meaning).
“The elbow is close, but you won’t bite” - about some simple, but unfulfilled task.
2.4. Vershok
Vershok— Old Russian unit of measurement, originally equal to the length of the main phalanx of the index finger. The word comes from “top”, that is, a sprout, a shoot - a stalk emerging from the ground. The measure of an inch in modern terms is approximately 4.45 cm.
A vershok was equal to 1/16 of an arshin, 1/4 of a quarter. In the literature of the 17th century. There are also fractions of an inch - half an inch and a quarter of an inch.
The word “VERSHOK” is familiar to everyone - something short, insignificant.
When determining the height of a person or animal, counting was carried out after two arshins (mandatory for a normal adult): if it was said that the person being measured was 10 vershok height, then this meant that he was 2 arshins 10 vershok, that is, 187 cm. There is a saying about a person An immature child is still told: “The pot is two inches away.” Two inches is about 9 cm, there are no people of this height, which means 2 arshins and 2 inches. Two inches from the pot is 151.14 cm, that is, a person of short stature.
2.5. Fathom
Fathom- one of the most common length measures in Rus'. There were more than ten fathoms of different purposes (and, accordingly, size).
This ancient measure of length was mentioned by Nestor in 1017. The name fathom comes from the verb to reach (reach) - how far one could reach with one’s hand. To determine the meaning of the ancient Russian fathom, a major role was played by the discovery of a stone on which the inscription was carved in Slavic letters: “In the summer of 6576 (1068) of the 6th day of indictment, Prince Gleb measured... 10,000 and 4,000 fathoms.” From a comparison of this result with the measurements of topographers, a fathom value of 151.4 cm was obtained. The results of measurements of temples and the value of Russian folk measures coincided with this value. There were fathomed measuring ropes and wooden “folds”, which were used in measuring distances and in construction.
Simple fathom- the distance between the thumbs of a person’s hands extended in opposite directions (equal to approximately 152 cm).
Machaya fathom- the distance between the ends of the middle fingers of the outstretched hands of a person of average height was approximately 1.76 m.
Oblique fathom- (originally “oblique”) distance from the toes of the right (left) foot standing man to the end of the fingers extended diagonally
left (right) arm (equal to approximately 216 cm) Used in the phrase: “he has oblique fathoms in his shoulders” (meaning - hero, giant).
Varieties of fathoms
policewoman - 284.8 cm,
church - 186.4 cm,
folk - 176.0 cm,
masonry - 159.7 cm,
simple - 150.8 cm,
great - 244.0 cm,
Greek - 230.4 cm,
breech - 217.6 cm,
royal - 197.4 cm,
Fathoms were used before the introduction of the metric system of measures.
2.6. Span
Span- one of the oldest measures of length. It is convenient because, like an elbow and a palm, everyone carries it with them. The span is the distance between the ends of the spread thumb and index (or middle) fingers. It was 17.78 cm. They distinguished: small span, large span and span with somersault.
“Don’t give up an inch” - don’t give up even the smallest thing, don’t give up even 27 cm.
“Seven spans in the forehead” is about a very smart man, 189 cm in forehead.
Large span- the distance between the ends of the thumb and little finger (22-23 cm).
Somersault span - with an increase in two joints of the index finger 27-31 cm.
Small span - the distance between the ends of the extended thumb and index fingers.
2.7 Palm
Palm - to measure small distances, the palm was used - this is the width of the hand. A palm is 1/6 of a cubit (six palmar cubit).
2.8 Inch
Inch - a non-metric unit of distance and length in some systems of measurement. It is generally believed that the inch was originally defined as the width of the thumb. Another addition connects an inch with the length of three dry barley grains taken from the middle part of the ear and placed one against the other with their ends. The word inch was introduced into the Russian language by Peter the first at the very beginning of the eighteenth century. The length of an inch is approximately 25.3mm. After the USSR switched to metric system inches were used to a limited extent: some calibers of artillery were “three-inch” - guns of 76.2 mm caliber, small arms 2 “three-rulers” - 7.62mm; nail length, board thickness; pipe thread diameter, etc.
2.9 International system units
In 1960, the XI CGPM adopted the standard, which for the first time received the name “International System of Units”, and established the international abbreviation for this system “SI”. The basic units in it were the meter, kilogram, second, ampere, degree Kelvin and candela.
On January 1, 1963, GOST 9867-61 “International System of Units” SI was introduced in the USSR as the preferred one in all fields of science, technology and National economy, as well as when teaching
Conclusion: I believe that all units of measurement I have studied should be retired as soon as possible, where they are currently used, since “this system of measurement” is not perfect. Since each person has their own height and their own measures, it became clear how inconvenient such a system of measures was. Therefore, over time, people switched to the metric system: after all, meter, decimeter, centimeter do not depend
from a person's height.
2.10.Practical part
Verst
I calculated the distance from home to school in miles.
Vershok
I decided to measure the length of the book with the average accepted designation of an inch, and with my measurement result
Arshin
I measured the arshin of my family members.
I measured the height of my family members with a yardstick.
Fathom
I measured the simple and oblique fathom of my family members
I measured the length of my room in fathoms.
Elbow
I measured the elbow length of all my family members.
I measured the height of family members in elbows
Span
I measured the height of the piano with the average accepted designation and my span
Palm
I measured the length of the piano with my palm using the average notation, and with my palm
Inch
I measured the height of the glass in inches, as well as the width of my thumb
3.Conclusion
In the course of my work, I found out what ancient measures of length existed in ancient times and compared them with the new measuring system. During the research, I found out how many miles from home to school, what the length of a step, palm, span, elbow is for all my family members. Length is one of the first geometric concepts introduced by man. The first measures of length were natural and simplest. Elbow, arshin, span, step - these measures are always with you, but they are inaccurate, since these units are different for different people. And even though these measures are not used now as before, they are reflected in folklore and are still used today, reflecting the wisdom of the people.
At the end of the work, I experienced great pleasure from the work done for the first time under the guidance of a teacher and parents, and I hope that it worked out for me.
4.Literature
Dal V.I. Proverbs of the Russian people, M., “Astrel”, 2008
Methodological aspects of studying mathematics. Ancient Russian measures. Subbotina A.A., 7th grade, MBOU "Ilyinskaya Secondary School No. 1", Ilyinsky district, Elena Borisovna Putilova, first category mathematics teacher. Perm, 2015.
3. http:// rusprawda.info Ancient Russian measures of length
4. http://philolog.petrusu.ru/dahl/html/texst.hlm.- Texts of works by Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl.
5. http://ru.wikipedia.org system of units of measurement - Wikipedia