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submitted 1 year ago by Zerush@lemmy.ml to c/memes@lemmy.ml
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[-] Zerush@lemmy.ml -1 points 1 year ago

Maybe, but imperial not even this, using absolute random units.

[-] frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Do you people legit believe people used feet&inches, pounds&ounces for over 2000 years for no reason?

[-] Jesus_666@feddit.de 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

And also ells, rods, cubits, paces, furlongs, oxgangs, lots, batmans... all with subtly different regional definitions (with regions sometimes as small as one village).

People used loosely defined measurements based on things like their own body parts or how much land they guessed their ox could plow on an average day. Things like mathematical convenience or precision were not all that important; being able to measure (or estimate) without tools was.

this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2024
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