Greek and Egyptian Metrology



The relationship between the various lengths measurments and ancient measurements is an interesting topic. Napoleon in 1795 developed the metric system dividing the earth's circumference into 40,000,000 sections calling each one a meter. Each quadrant arc of the earth is, therefore, 10,000,000 meters in length.
The earth is divided by a system which uses factors of 6 to the nth power as in our system of hours minutes and seconds which are divisable by 6. In terms of distance also the earth is divided into degrees minutes and seconds of arc which produces the significant number 6 to the fourth power or exactly 1,296,000. This number is related to the Egyptian RC.

Relations between Greek measure and Egyptian measurement



The Greek stadia is known to be 600 Gk feet in length, the question to solve is how long was the Gk and Roman foot? this will then lead to the relationship if any between this length and any possible Egyptian connection. We know from the work of Greaves from Cambridge in 1639 who investigated this problem and other scholars; see Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend wrote a very interesting work, "Hamlets Mill" who have explored this area that the length of a Roman foot was 11.664 inches and the Greek was 12.15 inches. This has been shown to a high degree of accuracy by the measurements of the Parthenon which we know to have been constructed according to the principal of its proportionate length and width. Penrose and others have shown the length of the Greek foot to be exactly 12.15 inches, this is a very significant "Geodetic measure". Given that the Greeks used 600ft for their Stadia the true length of the Stadia is seen to be exactly 607.5 ft (modern) or 1/10 of a Nautical mile. In other words the Greeks knew that a minute of arc at the Lattitude of Athens was equal to 10 Stadia and indeed our Nautical mile is defined as exactly 6075 ft and also as 1/21600 of the earth's circumference, that is one minute of arc. This could of course be merely a coincidence as I suppose is the knowledge that the Egyptian measure of the Remen is found to be in proportion to the Greek Stadia as 500 Remen equal exactly one Greek Stadia.

Greek Foot



The length of the Greek foot is given further Geodetic emphasis when it is compared to the length of a Nautical mile. If the Nautical mile is divided using the current system we find that one second of arc is 1/60 of a Nautical mile this gives 1215 inches. The Greek foot can be represented mathematicaly as exactly 1/100 of a second of Arc of the earth's circumference at the lattitude of Athens. Athens is located at 37deg 58' North where the length of a degree is 110984.5 meters. This gives a length to the Greek foot using this formula of 12.13 inches I think that being 2/100 of an inch within modern calculated values gives some basis to the Geodetic foundation regarding the real meaning of Greek and Roman feet and Egyptian Cubits.


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