How were the units of measurement for distance created? More specifically, how were they decided to be a specific length?
In: Mathematics
Originally they were just “hands” or “feet” – loose measurements based on the proportions of the craftsman. This log is 18 feet. The horse is 16 hands tall.
That’s fine for small projects like a canoe or a cabin, but once humans started building major settlements and putting together large monuments you need a way to standardize units between teams of workers.
So the lead architect will define the *exact* length of a hand or foot (or cubit, or whatever) and the crews will all use that so that each team’s parts are measured the same.
Once you have craftsmen in different locations all using the same standard length to cut their components you’ve effectively created a national standard.
Over time, governments and craftsman guilds codify these to make sure that everything they order is made correctly forever. Then you have a permanent standard.
Every society created their own specific standards, usually based on some body part (short units) or nearby geographical feature (mapping scale units)
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