212 Ancient Linear Measures. 



divided into twelve equal parts. As with the Mexican foot, 

 in reducing English foot measurements as given in books of 

 travel and architecture, it is only necessary to add 2 per cent. ; 100 

 English feet equal 102 Mexican and Peruvian. 



2. Mexico and Central America. — From measurements of many 

 small objects again, as well as from various other confirmatory 

 methods it may be safely stated that the unit of measure employed 

 by the ancient Mexicans was a foot of 12 inches, equal to llf 

 inches English. Since arriving at this conclusion, I have received 

 a- little pamphlet on the subject of ancient " American Linear 

 Measures," by Dr. Daniel Brinton, of Philadelphia, in which he 

 shows that the old Mexican octacatl was, " as deduced from the 

 yard, or Vara de Burgos, equal to 9*84 English feet, which would 

 make the octacatl a 10-foot measure, and a multiple of the length 

 of a foot; as is proved by an analysis of the word." That result 

 Dr. Brinton adds, " is as interesting as it is new, as it demon- 

 strates that the metrical unit of ancient Mexico was the same as 

 that of ancient Rome, i.e., the length of the foot print." Mr. H. 

 Seebohm says the Roman foot, or foot of Solon, was — : *296 

 metre, consequently Dr. Brinton's calculation is almost identical 

 with my own, viz., -298 ; which, moreover, is fairly deducible 

 from the 4 palm foot of the Egyptian (royal) cubit of -525 metre. 

 Mr. Petrie's reductions of the Mexican foot of -260, as well as of 

 other old North American ones of -170, -315, and 325, seem to 

 be incorrect. My correction of 2 per cent, added in fact to Dr. 

 Brinton's 9 '81 ten-foot measure, would make' the old octacatl 

 almost precisely 10 old Mexican feet. The same correction also 

 added to the 11-foot 9-inch diameter of the celebrated Mexican 

 "Calendar " stone would show that a precise diameter of 12 feet 

 was intended. Moreover, on that very stone, round a portion of 

 the outside or rim, are 18 square divisions or cartouches, represen- 

 tative of the months of the Mexican year, each exactly a M exi- 

 can foot square. Curiously, the equally celebrated so-called 

 " sacrificial" stone, probably once also a calendar, stated to be a 

 few inches over 9 feet English in diameter, would, for 9 feet 5 

 inches, give 360 to 365 Mexican inches for circumference, pro- 

 bably intended as 1 inch for each day of the year. In Lady 

 Brassey's fine collection of gold ornaments from graves in Antio- 

 quia, Northern South America, figured and described by Mr. 



