Ancient Linear Measures. 51 



in the Journal of Hellenic Studies, I obtain a cubit of 19-6 

 inches — evidently the old Assyrian one of Dorpfeld — show- 

 ing that the aucient Phrygians obtained their unit direct 

 from Assyria, and probably not through either Pelasgic, 

 Phoenician, or Hittite sources. But more measures would 

 be here desirable if I could obtain them. From the tomb of 

 Cnidus five measures give a probable cubit of 19-0 to 19-2, 

 and, therefore, possibly = the Hittite unit. 



13. Phoenicia. — From Perrot's and Chipjfiez's recent 

 work on Phoenician art, etc., I have obtained a very probable 

 cubit of 20*0 from only very archaic tombs and buildings in 

 Phoenicia proper; but more measurements might be desira- 

 ble. This is evidently Petri e's Eastern Mediterranean one, 

 and probably, also, the Pelasgic one, showing how far-spread 

 was Phoenician trading influence prior to B.C. 800, after 

 which time Petrie's old Hellenic foot of 11 '60 may have come 

 into vogue. The curious result might seem very probable 

 that the Phoenician cubit was one purposely averaged for 

 convenience of a commercial and trading community like 

 the Phoenicians from the old Assyrian cubit of 197 and the 

 Egytian royal ell of 20 - 5 inches, giving one almost precisely 

 of 20 inches. Prof. Sayce suggested to me that the Pelasgic 

 cubit might possibly be of Phoenician origin. 



14. Oceania. — Capt. Cook describes a morai, or stone ter- 

 races on the island of (?) Oberea, as a series of prodigious 

 piles of stones, 26*7X8*7 by 44 high, that would be = 

 300X100x50 of my prehistoric feet of 11 inches. 



15. China. — A French writer, Eemusat, also gives a 

 Chinese foot = 12 English inches, a further confirmation of 

 what I stated in my first letter. 



Prehistoric. — I have alluded to this unit of 11*0 inches in 

 my two previous letters. I might further add that Mr. 

 Lukis gives 36| feet English as the diameter of the smallest 

 of the Cornish stone circles : this would make precisely 

 forty prehistoric feet. The cap-stone of the rocking-stone 

 at Pierre Martine, near Livernon, is given by Ferguson as 

 11X22 feet English. 



In Sinai in Arabia Mr. Holland mentions series of stone, 

 probably in connection with tombs, some of the larger of 



