In Rus', the oldest unit of mass was hryvnia(409.5 g). There is an assumption that this unit was brought to us from the East. Subsequently it received the name pound. The hryvnia (later pound) remained unchanged. The word "hryvnia" was used to denote both weight and monetary unit. This is the most common measure of weight in retail and craft applications. It was also used for weighing metals, in particular gold and silver.

Hryvnia (pound)(from the Latin word "pondus" - weight, weight) was equal to 32 lots, 96 spools, 1/40 pood, in modern terms 409.50 g. Used in combinations: "not a pound of raisins", "find out how much a pound of raisins is."

The Russian pound was adopted under Alexei Mikhailovich.

Sugar was sold by the pound.

Lot- an old Russian unit of mass measurement equal to three spools or 12.797 grams. This unit was no longer used after the introduction of the metric system. Soviet Russia in 1918 and in the USSR in 1925.

Share- the smallest old Russian unit of mass measurement, equal to 1/96 of a spool or 0.044 grams. This unit was no longer used after the introduction of the metric system in Soviet Russia in 1918 and in the USSR in 1925.

A pood was equal to 40 pounds, in modern terms - 16.38 kg. It was already used in the 12th century.

Pud- (from the Latin pondus - weight, heaviness) is not only a measure of weight, but also a weighing device. When weighing metals, the pud was both a unit of measurement and a unit of counting. Even when the results of weighings were reported to tens and hundreds of poods, they were not transferred to Berkovites. Back in the XI-XII centuries. used various scales with equal-armed and unequal-armed yoke: “pud” is a type of scale with a variable fulcrum and a fixed weight, “skalvy” is an equal-armed scale (two-cup). The pud, as a unit of mass, was abolished in the USSR in 1924.

Berkovets- this large measure of weight was used in wholesale trade mainly for weighing wax, honey, etc.Berkovets - from the name of the island of Bjerk. This is what was called in Rus' a measure of weight of 10 pounds, just a standard barrel of wax, which one person could roll onto a merchant boat sailing to this very island. (163.8 kg).

There is a known mention of the berkovets in the 12th century in the charter of Prince Vsevolod Gabriel Mstislavich to the Novgorod merchants. This unit was no longer used after the introduction of the metric system in Soviet Russia in 1918 and in the USSR in 1925.

To determine large masses it was used pood(16.38 kg), and small ones - spool(12.8 g). They said about the spool: “the spool is small but expensive.” This word originally meant a gold coin.

They bought tea with gold coins.

Until recently, a small pack of tea, weighing 50 grams, was called an “octam” (1/8 pound)

And this would go on forever: different countries- different units of measurement, has not yet been accepted Mass standard.

In 1872, by decision of the International Commission on Standards of the Metric System, the mass of the prototype stored in the National Archives of France was adopted as a unit of mass. This prototype is a platinum cylindrical weight with a height and diameter of 39 mm. Kilogram prototypes for practical use were made of platinum-iridium alloy. A platinum-iridium weight, closest to the mass of the Archive’s platinum kilogram, was adopted as the international prototype of the kilogram. It should be noted that the mass of the international prototype kilogram is somewhat different from the mass of a cubic decimeter of water. As a result, the volume of 1 liter of water and 1 cubic decimeter are not equal to each other (1 liter = 1.000028 dm3). In 1964, the XII General Conference on Weights and Measures decided to equate 1 liter to 1 dm3.

The international prototype of the kilogram was approved at the First General Conference on Meters and Weights in 1889 as a prototype of a unit of mass, although at that time there was no clear distinction between the concepts of mass and weight and therefore the mass standard was often called the weight standard.

By decision of the First Conference on Weights and Measures, platinum-iridium kilogram prototypes No. 12 and No. 26 were transferred to Russia from 42 kilogram prototypes produced. The kilogram prototype No. 12 was approved in 1899 as an optional state standard of mass (the pound had to be periodically compared with the kilogram) , and prototype No. 26 be used as a secondary standard.

The standard includes:

a copy of the international prototype of the kilogram (No. 12), which is a platinum-iridium weight in the form of a straight cylinder with rounded ribs with a diameter and height of 39 mm. The prototype of the kilogram is stored at VNIIM. D. M. Mendeleev (St. Petersburg) on ​​a quartz stand under two glass covers in a steel safe. The standard is stored while maintaining the air temperature within (20 ± 3) ° C and relative humidity 65%. In order to preserve the standard, two secondary standards are compared with it every 10 years. They are used to further convey the size of a kilogram. When compared with the international standard kilogram, the domestic platinum-iridium weight was assigned a value of 1.0000000877 kg;

equal-arm prism scales 1 kg. No. 1 with remote control(in order to exclude the influence of the operator on the temperature environment), manufactured by Ruprecht, and equal-arm modern prismatic scales for 1 kg No. 2, manufactured at VNIIM. D.M. Mendeleev. Scales No. 1 and No. 2 serve to transfer the size of a unit of mass from prototype No. 12 to secondary standards.

One of the basic subjects studied at school is mathematics. But the rules of counting were not always the same as those taught to modern schoolchildren. And it’s not even about the formulas, laws, sequences and interdependencies discovered scientific community. The very measures used to measure objects used to be completely different. Of course, obsolete units are rarely needed in Everyday life, but an educated person should understand what “elbow”, “verst” and “fathom” mean in order to understand what we are talking about if faced with such a definition of the dimensions of an object or space. Ancient measures of measurement are taught as part of a general education course at school, and you can also familiarize yourself with it yourself - for example, from this article.

Useful, relevant, modern

Each of us, at least once in our lives, has come across sayings with ancient measures of measurement, but not everyone understood what dimensions we were talking about. To be sure that we accurately process incoming information, to consider ourselves educated people, modern, but aware of our history, it is important to know what terms mean what. Despite the fact that nowadays ancient measures measurements are found mainly in literature, it is necessary to know what the ideas about numbers were in ancient times, because it was then that the foundations of modern arithmetic were laid, as well as ideas about proportionality.

If you become familiar with the foundations on which the modern system of units of measurement is built, you can learn more about the historical past of the state and nation. At school age, such a general introduction course makes it possible to interest schoolchildren - after all, everyone will want to show off their unique knowledge about ancient volume measures in Ancient Rus' in front of their peers. Thus, such information is useful, interesting, and easy to digest, as it arouses curiosity.

Information: is it all that simple?

To understand what ancient measures of measurement were in use, it is necessary to process many sources of information. A considerable amount can be gleaned from literature, very different - from classics to children's fairy tales. Useful information gives an introduction to sayings and proverbs. A lot of information can be gleaned from conversations with older people who in former times used ancient measures of measurement. Of course, a huge amount of information has been collected by scientists working on this issue.

Preserving and systematizing data on ancient measures of quantities allows us to preserve important historical information for the future, because the ideas about arithmetic that existed in former times also provide data about some features of the structure of society. Wisdom has been known since ancient times: the world is ruled by the one to whom numbers obey.

Ancient history

As historians have found, numbers were important to people in ancient times. At first they counted animals, fruits, products, and other representatives of society. Moreover, at first people didn’t even use numbers - they didn’t exist yet. Initially, the number of objects was compared with something characteristic of a person - the number of fingers, eyes or hands. The next step was counting on fingers. When describing the number of some objects, one could say “he has two arms and a leg,” which meant 15 pieces. The concept “whole person” described a collection of 20 objects.

Humanity developed, and at the same time arithmetic also developed, which led to the invention of numbers that were generally accepted among ordinary people. The population of Ancient Rus' paid special attention to the number “seven”. This can be seen from the sayings that have reached us. For example, as you know, even if seven troubles happen, there will still be one answer to them. With the same number famous saying about being late: seven do not wait for one. Economic activity became more complex, people felt the need for more complex measures of measurement, and in the absence of specialized terminology, concepts were literally invented from the surrounding space. For example, the original pebble counting evolved over time to the counts still in use today.

Man and the measurement system

When it became clear that humanity needed more complex systems measurements rather than pebbles and fingers, the first thing that was used to create the metric system was the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe proportionality of the human body. That is why ancient measures of length are designated by parts of the human body. The smallest unit, often used in everyday life, was equal to the distance separating the index finger from the thumb, if you spread them apart. If we compare ancient measures of length with modern ones, then this value is about 19 cm. In former times it was called a small span. There was also a large span, for the modern metric system it is 22.5 cm. It was calculated as the distance from the little finger to the thumb, if the fingers are spread apart. This ancient metric system was reflected in the name of the icons - “pyadnitsy” were 19-23 cm in size in width. Bricks produced in the 12th century were of the same size as they were intended to be laid by hand.

More and more

Of course, ancient measures of measurement in Rus' suggested measuring much larger quantities than two dozen centimeters. Here, too, measures were used that had their roots in the structural features of the human body. For example, when it was necessary to buy fabric, they usually told how many elbows needed to be measured. This measure meant the length from the tips of straightened fingers to the elbow. However, in some cases the hand was clenched into a fist, and only then the elbow was measured. As a rule, canvas was measured by elbows - one of the most durable materials, used in former times everywhere, from household purposes to clothing production.

An even larger ancient unit of measurement in Rus' was called the sazhen. This distance implied the number of centimeters separating the foot from the fingertips of the hand extended upward. In the modern metric system, a fathom is about 215 cm. However, it was such if the height of the person by whom the fathom was measured was about 171 cm. Alternative option was called a simple fathom and was officially measured on the Tmutarakan stone. The inscription on this historical monument testifies to how large the width was at the time of ancient exploration. A simple fathom was determined by average height and was equal to the distance from the fingertips of one hand to the fingertips of the other, if you spread your arms to the sides. The fathom was divided into quarters, into 8 parts, thus obtaining a cubit, a span. Presumably, on the basis of a simple fathom, over time, a three-arshin was introduced.

Quite big!

When it was necessary to talk about large distances, for measuring which human height was completely unsuitable, the “verst” measure was used. Its alternative name is field. Verst is mentioned in numerous proverbs and sayings about ancient measures of measurement. It is known that the term has been in use since the eleventh century. Currently, scientists agree that the most accurate estimate of a fathom is a kilometer and 67 meters. At the same time, it must be taken into account that during the period of feudal fragmentation, the territory of each individual principality established its own measurement measures, which often did not coincide with those adopted by its neighbors.

Many measures used in ancient Rus' changed over time. For example, the same cubit depended on the ruler of a particular principality, who had the right to establish a standard value corresponding to the size of his body. Whatever the size of the merchants and sellers, it was necessary to use exactly the elbow that was set by those in power. What joy the merchant class had in those days if power in the principality passed to a child or teenager! Well, ordinary people came up with more and more new proverbs and sayings with ancient measures of measurement, designed to reflect both worldly wisdom and the severity of the injustice that reigned around.

Size is not just length

Measuring length was not the only need in earlier times (as in other times today). No less significant were the measures that could be used to characterize bulk products. Most often, ancient mass measures were used for grain crops. IN Kievan Rus, in the principalities from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, rye, oats and wheat were measured in tubs, which could be divided into two, four or eight parts if necessary. One tub per modern system measurements - approximately 230 kg.

From the sixteenth century to two centuries, the main ancient ancient measure of volume in the principalities that make up modern Russia and neighboring countries was a quarter. One quarter consisted of six pounds. Initially, the formation of these values ​​was based on the amount of grain that peasants sown in the fields. Over time, the measures, of course, underwent changes. Let's say, shortly before the revolution in Russian Empire the main measures were quarter, tithe; the first value was two times less than the second. As can be seen from the data collected by historians, ancient measures of length, mass, volume are closely related to those in use at that time banknotes and methods of payment for goods.

Small spool but precious

Who hasn't heard this proverb? There are many other folk wisdoms with ancient measures of measurement. Despite the fact that these units of measurement have already left our everyday life, their names will be preserved for posterity for many centuries to come as a treasure trove of folk wisdom. True, even modern people have little idea what the word “spool” means.

This term can be found in historical artifacts that have come down to us from the times of Kievan Rus. At the same time, pud and berkovets were in use. To this day, scientists do not know for sure whether the spool was a measure of weight or whether it designated a coin made of gold. In the same way, it is not possible to establish exactly how much a pud, a berkowets, meant at first. Over time, the following values ​​were established: pood - 16.4 kg, Berkovets - 10 poods. One pood contained 40 pounds. Mention of these measures can be found in the proverb with ancient measures of measurement “a ruble of copper, and a pound of paper.”

Wisdom and compatibility

As can be seen from the sayings about ancient measures of measurement, in ancient times people more than once encountered difficulties associated with the system of measures. It is not surprising, because everyone had their own elbow, and everyone strived for their own benefit. Due to the incorrect description of the distance, people got confused in maps and could not determine exactly how much time was needed for the journey, and other misunderstandings plagued everyday life quite often. And it’s good if it just caused irritation, but it was possible to cause the feudal lord’s displeasure, which often threatened with punishment. And what gentleman would want to listen to an explanation where the main blame was shifted to the imperfections of the current metric system?

There are cases when imperfections in the measurement system even provoked massive popular unrest. Already in those days it was clear that it was necessary to somehow streamline the current system, otherwise there was no point in counting on the progress of society in the future. In addition, since ancient times it has been human nature to strive for justice. This eventually caused the transition to the metric system that we currently use.

Fairy tales and measures

Both the measures of measurement used in antiquity and the incidents associated with them can be learned from folk tales. This category folk art is of particular interest, since in former times fairy tales were passed on from mouth to mouth, and were not written down on paper, and therefore gradually changed. The tales of each locality reflect the peculiarities of life in that area. Most often in such sources you can find references to arshin, fathom, verst, pood. From this we can rightly conclude that these were the units of measurement that were in use among ordinary people in everyday life.

Very interesting observations about ancient measures of volume, length and mass can be made from the fairy tale “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” as well as from collections of folk tales and epics. But in the legend about the sea king and Vasilisa there is a mention of punishment for guilt - transfer to the management of the site “thirty miles in length and across.” It is difficult for a modern person to imagine how large this territory is (although according to the meaning of the legend it is clear that we're talking about about an impressive plot). If we use information about the approximate correspondence of modern measures of length, it turns out that a square is described with a width and length of 32 kilometers and 40 meters. This is the scale!

There are no boundaries for perfection

As can be seen from history, the measurement system invented in ancient times, based on the dimensions of the human body, turned out to be quite convenient - it was in use for almost half a millennium, despite certain imperfections. States, power, borders, and the structure of society changed, but arshins and pounds remained in everyday use as irreplaceable parts of a person’s everyday life and his idea of ​​the surrounding space. The most used quantities introduced in the 11th century could be found in everyday life even in the 20th century.

As you can see, those values ​​that “survived” the longest were those that denoted rather large sizes, dimensions, and spaces. For example, the cubit, used in earlier times, was eventually replaced by the arshin, which remained in use for a long time. Research shows that the elbow was used for quite a long time in the northern regions modern Russia, but in the south it was no longer used. And the smallest ancient value, used for a long time in various Slavic tribes, and then in Rus' and Russia, was called vershok. And to this day the word is familiar to many from sayings and sayings. The top was equal to the length of the phalanx index finger.

What currently?

Nowadays, ancient measures of measurement have lost their original meaning, but still accompany modern man. Yes, we no longer measure distance in miles and weight in pounds, we have kilometers and kilograms. Nevertheless, we still “share a peck of salt” with true friends, fighting problems “one like a finger.” Leaving practical application like the metric system, units of measurement have remained with us as phraseological units and sayings, reflecting the wisdom accumulated by the people.

One can constantly see mentions of ancient measures in classical literature; at the same time, folk tales, legends and epics are rich in such phrases. Most often you can find references to the finger, arshin, vershok, verst. Of course, fathom, span, pound are also used in fiction.

The metric system as a science

Nowadays, one of the main units for measurement is the meter. Even in the word “metric” we can see the same root - “meter”. It was first proposed by French scientists in the 18th century. The word was formed from a Greek source - “measure” in Greek sounds like “meter”.

Every year, Metrology Day is celebrated all over the world, which falls on May 20th. The international event is usually marked by works and speeches dedicated to new inventions, developments, and improvements to the measurement system and the instruments used for it. On this day, humanity pays tribute to the merits of metrologists who streamline our lives and make it clearer, more correct and fair.

Proverbs and sayings

In what proverbs? folk wisdom Are previously used systems of measures mentioned? Below are good examples that we encounter in everyday life.

The following folk wisdom is indicative:

• "No step back!" (the step in the previous metric system was 71 centimeters).
• “There are 7 spans in the forehead” (as much as 189 cm!).
• “I conquered the kingdom in one step” (to conquer something by walking nothing, only 71 centimeters).
• “The pot is two inches away, and it’s already pointing!” (some 9 centimeters, that is, nothing at all, but he already controls those around him).
• You can save a pound of grain(one grain can save 16 and a half kilograms).

Folk wisdom for everyday life

Of course, not everyone these days needs to be able to convert ancient measures of measurement into those familiar to us. If you suddenly need such information, you can always find sources that reflect what corresponds to what in centimeters and grams. It is much more important for a modern person to have a general understanding of the metric system that existed in the past and the rules of its application, as well as the meaning inherent in sayings and proverbs, epics and fairy tales that have survived to this day.

The metric system is also important from the point of view that it helps develop interest in mathematics among schoolchildren, and allows historians to more accurately restore events, artifacts, and rules that governed the life of society in former times.

Span- measure of length, equal to distance between the ends of the outstretched fingers - thumb and index (19cm - 23cm);

1 span is an arshin.

Vershok- a measure of length equal to a fraction of an arshin ("44.4 mm).

Verst- a measure of length equal to

500 fathoms =

1500 arshins =

Ancient mass measures

(In everyday life, measures of mass have long been called measures of weight.)

The image of lever scales is found in Egyptian monuments created many centuries BC.

Talent – the weight of water filling a container with a capacity of one unit of volume.

1 talent contained 3600 skills;

1 skill= 180 grains » 10 grams

Metal weights were made based on the weight of grains, and later based on the weight of water. Weights that served as standards were kept by ancient peoples either in temples (Egypt) or in government institutions (Rome).

Ancient mass measures in Rus'

Hryvnia- the oldest measure of weight in Rus'. Introduced from the East, from Iraq. Subsequently, the hryvnia in Rus' received the name pound.

Kul– a measure of the mass of granular bodies. Depending on the type of bulk solids, the measure had different numeric value. A sack of rye was equal to 151.5 kg, for oats - 100.3 kg.

Who controlled the measures in Rus'?

Supervision of measures, including weight measures, has been carried out for a long time. The need for such supervision was first mentioned in “ Church Charter» Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich (10th century). The charter of the Novgorod prince Vsevolod (12th century) says: “The bishop should keep the trade scales, measures and bowls from the scales.” The punishment for abuse was “close to death,” and the perpetrator faced the loss of property.

Thus, weights and measures began to be kept in churches. Weighings were carried out in churches at the end of the service.

From the middle of the 16th century, the supervision of measures of length, weight and capacity (volume) passed to civil authority. In 1550, stamped ("stamped") measures were produced and distributed to the wardens and other officials.

It was a brilliant idea: units of measurement different sizes appeared to be connected in a certain sequence

_____________________________

XVIII century – there is an urgent need to introduce an international system of measures (common to all nations).

On May 8, 1790, the French National Assembly adopted a decree on the reform of the system of measures. Special commissions were created, in which the greatest mathematicians and astronomers of the time took part. We decided to take one forty-millionth of a meridian as a unit of length.

By measuring the meridian passing through Paris and finding its one forty-millionth part, scientists obtained the length of the new measure - 1 meter.

1799 - the work on creating a metric system of measures was completed. But this system of measures did not gain popularity for a long time.

1875 - A conference was convened in Paris. Representatives of the states signed a metric convention (agreement) on the recognition of the international metric system. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures was established.

1889 – 34 meter standards and 43 kilogram standards were produced. The international prototypes of the meter and kilogram were deposited in France, at the premises of the International Commission of Weights and Measures in Sèvres, near Paris.

1960 – adopted at the XI General Conference International system units (SI).

Number systems and their changes are a problem not only for historians, but also for amateurs historical literature. The metric system that is familiar to us today began to be used in Russia only in 1899 at the suggestion of D.I. Mendeleev, but even then it was not the only one, but one of the possible ones. Before that, there were many Russian measures of length, and many of them were perceived differently at different times.

Your own standard

The “measuring unit” in the Old Russian SI was an adult healthy man. Because of this, the units were very arbitrary - often each merchant or princely official had his own measure (a fact reflected in the saying “measure to your own arshin”). Although the names of the units were the same, they often meant different real values ​​in different areas. Large distances were measured very arbitrarily; more often the unit was one day's march (on foot or on horseback).

Your own arshin and oblique fathom

Since centuries, several basic units of measurement of length have been known from documents.

1. Arshin (0.71 m). The measurement was based on the full length of one arm (from the tip of the middle finger to the shoulder joint). The standard appeared only in the 17th century, although the measure was used earlier. It is sometimes believed that the arshin was a measure of step length. But for one it turns out to be a lot, but for two (in Rus' they usually thought so) it’s not enough.
2. Elbow. Arm length to elbow joint. In different areas and at different times it could range from 36 to 48 cm.
3. Fathom. There are at least 10 species. Accordingly, the length also varies: from 1.42 m (3 cubits, simple) to 2.48 m (oblique). The measurement was based on the height of a man with his arms raised or his arm span.
4. Field. It was the maximum distance for a plow to pass when plowing before turning (at this distance on the plain you can clearly see a person). It was estimated at 750 fathoms (most likely simple, but this is not indicated in the document).
5. Verst. Some believe that the word was originally equivalent to field. But the versts were also different, and could range from 500 to 1000 fathoms. In this case, a three-arshin fathom (2.13 m) was taken as a basis. The longest used mileage was 1.06 km.

Dozen divisor

It should be remembered that before the 1917 revolution in Russia, dozens were more often counted than tens. Therefore, smaller values ​​were often ½, ¼, 1/3, 1/6 larger (divisors of the number 12 are used).

1. The large span was half a cubit. It was measured by the distance between the tips of the thumb and little finger (about 22 cm). There were other options. For example, an ordinary span was determined by the thumb and index finger.
2. Palm – 1/6 elbow (slightly more than 7 cm).
3. The top is ¼ span (4.45 cm).

Minor measurements were also used: a finger (the length of the first phalanx of the index finger, 2 cm) and a nail (a little more than 1 cm).

It's easier with the meter

This measurement system was outdated long before the advent of the metric system. This was due to the development of trade - merchants’ own standards constantly caused scandals and disputes. The first decisive measures to unify units of measurement were taken during the reign of Alexei Mikhailovich. In the era of Peter the Great, they began to use European measurements (foot, inch) and “adjust” traditional ones to them (for example, a fathom was recognized as 7 feet).

But the metric system beat all options due to its versatility and accuracy. No one could measure the Parisian meridian to their own arshin.