CHAP. XI. DIVISION OF THE CUBIT. 31 



taken from that monument, and the wooden cubit 

 found at Memphis, described by M. Jomard*, which 

 he reckons at 520 millimetres, or 20'47291 En- 

 ghsh inches, 



That in the Museum 



at Turin he states 



to be - - 522/.^ niilliniL'tres, or 20-57869 English inches. 



Another - - 323 — or 20-61800 — 



Another - - 524 — or 20-6584-3 — 



And he com|)utes 



that of the Nilo- 



nieter at - 527 — or 20'74840 — 



which last far exceeds my calculation. 



The careless manner in which the graduation 

 of the scales of the Nilometer at Elephantine has 

 been made by the Egyptians, renders the precise 

 length of its cubit difficult to determine j but as 

 I have carefully measured all of them, and have 

 been guided by their general length as well as by 

 the averages of the whole, I am disposed to think 

 my measurement as near the truth as possible ; and 

 judging from the close approximation of different 

 wooden cubits, whose average M. Jomard estimates 

 at 523*506 millimetres, we may conclude that they 

 were all intended to represent the same measures, 

 strongly arguing against the supposition of dif- 

 ferent cubits having been in use, one of 2L and 

 others of 28 and 32 digits ; and indeed, if at any 

 time the Egyptians employed a cubit of a different 

 length, consisting of 24 digits, it is not probable 

 that it was used in their Nilometers, for architec- 

 tural purposes, or for measuring land. 



* Vide Jomard's E'talon nictrique, and Lettre u M. Abel Rcmusat 

 sur unc nouvelle Mesure de Coudee. 



