[image ALT: Much of my site will be useless to you if you've got the images turned off!]

Cubitus

p372 Article by Philip Smith, B.A., of the University of London
on p372 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.

CU′BITUS (πῆχυς), a measure of length used by the Greeks, Romans, and other nations, was originally the length of the human arm from the elbow to the wrist, or to the tip of the forefinger; the latter was its signification among the Greeks and Romans. It was equal to a foot and a half; and therefore the Roman cubit was a little less, and the Greek cubit a little more, than a foot and a half English. The cubit was divided by the Greeks into 2 spans (σπιθαμαί), 6 hand-breadths (παλαισταί), and 24 finger-breadths (δάκτυλοι), and by the Romans into 1½ feet, 6 breadths (palmi), and 24 thumb-breadths (pollices). (Wurm, De Pond. Mens. &c.; Hussey, On Ancient Weights, &c., see the Tables.) Respecting the Egyptian and other cubits, see Böckh, Metrol. Untersuch. p211.

Images with borders lead to more information.
The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.)

UP TO:

Smith's Dictionary:
Daily Life

Smith's
Dictionary

LacusCurtius

Home

A page or image on this site is in the public domain ONLY if its URL has a total of one *asterisk. If the URL has two **asterisks, the item is copyright someone else, and used by permission or fair use. If the URL has none the item is © Bill Thayer.

Cubitus

p372 Article by Philip Smith, B.A., of the University of London on p372 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.

p372 Article by Philip Smith, B.A., of the University of London
on p372 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.