224 



Ancient Linear Measures. 



Egypt and Assyria had begun to extend itself to other parts of 

 the globe, one, if not two, rather widely extended primitive units 

 of linear measure in existence, which spread over the New World 

 as well as the Old, but which also probably, as time advanced got 

 modified or mixed up with other units. 



I have likewise found rather strong traces of the North Ameri- 

 can mound foot of *254 metres, as well as the Mexican or old 

 Roman foot of "268, occurring in North Europe in the bronze 

 age. That theEoman foot is frequently met with in Europe, and 

 occasionally even in the East, is a well-known fact, and easily to 

 be accounted for. 



The following is the analysis of some 360 measurements of 

 bronze objects I have collected from various sources, and is, at 

 least, curious ; probably three fourths of the objects measured, or 

 figures examined to scale, gave good results to one scale or the 

 other, say, to very nearly round inches and half inches. 



Scandinavian objects 



Swiss Lakes 



Evans's Bronze Age, British 



R. P. Greg's Collection, Miscellaneous. 



Totals 





u 





& A 



o . 



O U 



.2 8 



S c3 



S ® 



Ifo 



.2 3 



%*4 



££ 





§525 



6 



5 



16 



13 



9 



9 



14 



16 



25 



33 



30 



50 



66 



60 



100 







22 

 17 

 29 



136 



Mr. Petrie gives 2*20 as an average of Irish bronze objects, 

 which would be almost exactly 2*5 of the prehistoric scale. 



The large proportion agreeing with old American measures is 

 very remarkable, making considerable allowance for accidental 

 coincidences, and looks as though two, if not three, prehistoric 

 standards of linear measure were once more or less prevalent over 

 a very large area. The Mexican or Solon's Homan foot may 

 have been derived from the Old World, very possibly from an 

 Egyptian cubit, some thousands of years ago. I have largely 

 tried decimal scaling, but do not find that the larger inches agree 

 nearly so well as those taken by duodecimal division also, for 







•I IT* 



