Schoeni
Schoenus (; , ''schoinos'', " rush rope"; , "river-measure") was an ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman unit of length and area based on the knotted cords first used in Egyptian surveying. Length The Greeks, who adopted it from the Egyptians, generally considered the schoinos equal to 40 stades, but neither the schoinos nor the stadion had an absolute value, and there were several regional variants of each. Strabo noted that it also varied with terrain, and that when he "ascended the hills, the measures of these schoeni were not everywhere uniform, so that the same number sometimes designated a greater, sometimes a less actual extent of road, a variation which dates from the earliest time and exists in our days." Herodotus2.6an says, that schoenus is 60 stadia or about . This agrees with the distance implied by the Triacontaschoenus stretching south of the First Cataract in Roman-era Nubia. Pliny the Elderbr>5.11that is 30 stadia. Strabo according to the place, between 30 an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Isidore Of Charax
Isidore of Charax (; , ''Isídōros o Charakēnós''; ) was a Greek geographer of the 1st century BC and 1st century AD, a citizen of the Parthian Empire, about whom nothing is known but his name and that he wrote at least one work. Name Isidore's name has been interpreted by editor and translator W.H. Schoff to indicate that he was from the city of Charax in Characene on the northern end of the present Persian Gulf. However, the Greek ''charax'' merely means "palisade" and there were several fortified towns that bore the name (''see Charax''). Parthian Stations Isidore's best known work is "The Parthian Stations" (, ''Stathmœ́ Parthicœ́''; ), an itinerary of the overland trade route from Antioch to India along the caravan stations maintained by the Arsacid Empire. He seems to have given his distances in schoeni ("ropes") of debated value. Isidore must have written it some time after for it refers to the revolt of Tiridates II against Phraates IV, which occurred in ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Juncaceae
Juncaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the rush family. It consists of 8 genera and about 464 known species of slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous monocotyledonous plants that may superficially resemble grasses and sedges. They often grow on infertile soils in a wide range of moisture conditions. The best-known and largest genus is '' Juncus''. Most of the ''Juncus'' species grow exclusively in wetland habitats. A few rushes, such as '' Juncus bufonius'' are annuals, but most are perennials. Despite the apparent similarity, Juncaceae are not counted among the plants with the vernacular name bulrush. Description The leaves are evergreen and well-developed in a basal aggregation on an erect stem. They are alternate and tristichous (i.e., with three rows of leaves up the stem, each row of leaves arising one-third of the way around the stem from the previous leaf). Only in the genus '' Distichia'' are the leaves distichous. The rushes of the genus ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Pliny The Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic (''Natural History''), a comprehensive thirty-seven-volume work covering a vast array of topics on human knowledge and the natural world, which became an editorial model for encyclopedias. He spent most of his spare time studying, writing, and investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field. Among Pliny's greatest works was the twenty-volume ''Bella Germaniae'' ("The History of the German Wars"), which is Lost literary work, no longer extant. ''Bella Germaniae'', which began where Aufidius Bassus' ''Libri Belli Germanici'' ("The War with the Germans") left off, was used as a source by other prominent Roman historians, including Plutarch, Tacitus, and Suetonius. Tacitus may have used ''Bella Ger ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Obsolete Units Of Measurement
This is a list of obsolete units of measurement, organized by type. These units of measurement are typically no longer used, though some may be in limited use in various regions. For units of measurement that are unusual but not necessarily obsolete, see List of unusual units of measurement. For units of measurement that are humorous in nature, see List of humorous units of measurement. Area * Antsingae – a unit of area, smaller than the bunarium. * Bunarium (plural "bunaria") – a unit of area, equal to about 120 Hectare#Are, ares or 12,000 square metres * Carucate * Cawnie * Decimal (unit), Decimal * Dessiatin * Ground (unit), Ground * Hide (unit), Hide * Juchart * Jugerum * Katha (unit), Katha * Lessa (unit), Lessa or Lecha * Marabba * Morgen * Oxgang * Pari (unit), Pari – a unit of area equal to about 1 hectare * Quinaria * Tathe * Virgate Energy, etc. * Poncelet – unit of power * Sthène – unit of force * * Length * Ald (unit), Ald * Alen (unit of length), Al ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Knotted Cord
A knotted cord was a primitive surveyor's tool for measuring distances. It is a length of cord with knots at regular intervals. They were eventually replaced by surveyor's chains, which being made of metal were less prone to stretching and thus were more accurate and consistent. Knotted cords were used by many ancient cultures. The Greek schoenus is referred to as a rope used to measure land. Ropes generally became cables and chains with Pythagoras making the Greek agros a chain of 10 stadia equal to a nautical mile c 540 BC. The Romans used a waxed cord for measuring distances. A knotted cord 12 lengths long (the units do not matter) closed into a loop can be used to lay out a right angle by forming the loop of cord into a 3–4–5 triangle. This could be used for laying out the corner of a field or a building foundation, for instance. Ancient Egypt Knotted cords were used by rope stretchers, royal surveyors who measured out the sides of fields (Egyptian ''3ht''). The knot ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Knot (unit)
The knot () is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour, exactly (approximately or ). The ISO standard symbol for the knot is kn. The same symbol is preferred by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ( IEEE), while kt is also common, especially in aviation, where it is the form recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO). The knot is a non- SI unit. The knot is used in meteorology, and in maritime and air navigation. A vessel travelling at 1 knot along a meridian travels approximately one minute of geographic latitude in one hour. Definitions ;1 international knot = :1 nautical mile per hour (by definition), : (exactly), : (approximately), : (approximately), : (approximately) : (approximately). The length of the internationally agreed nautical mile is . The US adopted the international definition in 1954, having previously used the US nautical mile (). The UK adopted the international nautical mile defi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Rope (unit)
A rope may refer to any of several units of measurement initially determined or formed by ropes or knotted cords. Length The Ancient Greek units, Greco-Roman units of measurement, Roman schoenus, supposedly based on an Ancient Egyptian units, Egyptian unit derived from a wound juncaceae, reed knotted cord, measuring rope, may also be given in translation as a "rope". According to Strabo, it varied in length between 30 and 120 stadia (unit), stadia (roughly 5 to 20 km) depending on local custom. The Byzantine units, Byzantine equivalent, the schoinion or "little rope", varied between 60 and 72 Greek feet depending upon the location. The Thai units, Thai sen (unit), sen of 20 Thai fathoms or 40 m also means and is translated "rope". The Somerset rope was a former English units, English unit used in drainage and hedging. It was 20 feet (unit), feet (now precisely 1E0 m, 6.096 m). Area The Ancient Romans, Romans used the schoenus as an alternative name for the h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Ancient Greek Units Of Measurement
Ancient Greek units of measurement varied according to location and epoch. Systems of ancient weights and measures evolved as needs changed; Solon and other lawgivers also reformed them ''en bloc''. Some units of measurement were found to be convenient for trade within the Mediterranean region and these units became increasingly common to different city states. The calibration and use of measuring devices became more sophisticated. By about 500 BC, Athens had a central depository of official weights and measures, the '' Tholos'', where merchants were required to test their measuring devices against official standards. Length Some Greek measures of length were named after parts of the body, such as the (''daktylos'', plural: ''daktyloi'') or finger (having the size of a thumb), and the ('' pous'', plural: ''podes'') or foot (having the size of a shoe). The values of the units varied according to location and epoch (e.g., in Aegina a ''pous'' was approximately , whereas in Athen ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Grape Vine
''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 81 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus consists of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce wine. The study and cultivation of grapevines is called viticulture. Most cultivated ''Vitis'' varieties are wind-pollinated with hermaphroditic flowers containing both male and female reproductive structures, while wild species are dioecious. These flowers are grouped in bunches called inflorescences. In many species, such as ''Vitis vinifera'', each successfully pollinated flower becomes a grape berry with the inflorescence turning into a cluster of grapes. While the flowers of the grapevines are usually very small, the berries are often large and brightly colored with sweet flavors that attract birds and other animals to disperse the seeds contained within the berri ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Olive Tree
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean Basin, with wild subspecies in Africa and western Asia; modern Cultivar, cultivars are traced primarily to the Near East, Aegean Sea, and Strait of Gibraltar. The olive is the type species for its genus, ''Olea'', and lends its name to the Oleaceae plant family, which includes species such as Syringa vulgaris, lilac, jasmine, forsythia, and Fraxinus, ash. The olive fruit is classed botanically as a drupe, similar to the cherry or peach. The term oil—now used to describe any Viscosity, viscous Hydrophobe, water-insoluble liquid—was virtually synonymous with olive oil, the Vegetable oil, liquid fat made from olives. The olive has deep historical, economic, and cultural significance in the Mediterranean; Georges Duhamel (author), George ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Heraclean Tables
The Heraclean Tablets (in older texts, the ''Heraclean Table(s)''; Lat.''Tabulae Heracleenses'') are bronze tablets found a short distance from the site of Heraclea Lucania, in the direction of Metapontum. They are significant for the study of Roman Law. Background As a consequence of its having accepted Roman citizenship in 89 BCE, Heraclea became a municipium, and the ''Tabulae Heracleenses'' contain a long Latin inscription relating to the municipal regulations of Heraclea, engraved on two tablets of bronze, on the back of which is a long Greek inscription of earlier date, probably the 3rd century BC, defining the boundaries of lands belonging to various temples. This document is a major authority for the municipal law of ancient Italy. Scholarship traditionally identified the inscription on the tablets with the '' Lex Iulia Municipalis'', a law issued in 45 BCE for the regulation of the municipal institutions of towns throughout Italy. It is now widely believed that the table ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Roman Feet
The units of measurement of ancient Rome were generally consistent and well documented. Length The basic unit of Roman linear measurement was the ''pes'' (plural: ''pedes'') or Roman foot. Investigation of its relation to the English foot goes back at least to 1647, when John Greaves published his ''Discourse on the Romane foot''. Greaves visited Rome in 1639, and measured, among other things, the foot measure on the tomb of Titus Statilius Aper, that on the statue of Cossutius formerly in the gardens of Angelo Colocci, the congius of Vespasian previously measured by Villalpandus, a number of brass measuring-rods found in the ruins of Rome, the paving-stones of the Pantheon and many other ancient Roman buildings, and the distance between the milestones on the Appian Way. He concluded that the Cossutian foot was the "true" Roman foot, and reported these values compared to the iron standard of the English foot in the Guildhall in London William Smith (1851) gives a value of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |