Athanasios Angelopoulos’ Metron Ariston blog features a much-welcome wealth of data on ancient Greek architecture.
http://athang1504.blogspot.com/2012/
I’ve attempted working with the data before and found a great deal that seemed familiar, although because this was prior to some of the latest revisions to my view of metrology, some of my first impressions are probably due for re-examinations.
As I understand it, Angelopoulos has also posited the existence of a “Megalithic Cubit”
http://athang1504.blogspot.com/2010/12/megalithic-cubit.html
http://athang1504.blogspot.com/2012/04/megalithic-cubit-more-examples.html
Being someone who thinks they are already working with enough ancient metrological units, I really haven’t delved into the idea of a Megalithic Cubit or examples of its possible applications (Angelopoulos’ examples include the Nebra Disk and the Aztec Sun Stone).
Angelopoulos writes, “In April 2002, I made the first precise measurements in the Treasury of Atreus and the Gate of the Lions in Mycenae, because I was interested in the unit of length that was used by the prehistoric architects. Some ancient Greek units of length that were given by archaeologists were not accurate (or even wrong) and did not agree with the measurements that existed at that time. Also, these measurements were very few and in most cases wrong, except those of Anastasios Orlandos for the Parthenon. For example, some books and encyclopedias wrote that the ancient Greek units of length were a foot of 0.3083 m (16 daktyloi = inches of 0.0193 m), a cubit of 0.4624 m (24 daktyloi) etc. But if an inch was 0.0193 m, then the foot was 0.3088 m and the cubit 0.4632 m.
After the measurements of the first three days (24-27 April), I found that the unit of length used by the Mycenaean architects was a cubit of 0.454 m. I called this unit “the Mycenaean Cubit”. However, when in the following days and months I measured some other important monuments (including Parthenon), I found that this unit had been used by the Pelasgians long time before the Mycenaeans. Therefore, I changed the name and called it “the Megalithic Cubit” (MC). The MC was also used in historical times by all initiated architects.
Definition: The Megalithic Cubit is defined as 1: 14,000,000 of the Earth’s polar radius (or 1: 28,000,000 of the Earth’s polar diameter. Since the radius is 6,356,775 m, the MC is equal to 0.454055 m. It is also subdivided into 28 daktyloi, inches) of 0,01622 m). Now, this number (0.454) is a lot different from the one mentioned above (0.4624). Also, the reason they chose 14 or 28 is because these numbers are related to the period of the Moon. For example, there were 14 circles above the entrance of the Treasury of Atreus (not 16 as some artists draw) and 28 stones in the first row around the tholos.”
I suppose it goes to serve as another object lesson about glossing over the hard work of others, in an effort to distance myself from what I took to be in likelihood an unnecessary unit of measure without historical backing, I failed to really notice what the proposed unit value of Angelopoulos’ Megalithic Cubit might actually represent.
Although its lineage and origins may now be accounted for though metrological deduction, the history and historical nomenclature of a particular unit continue to prove somewhat elusive.
http://grahamhancock.com/phorum/read.php?1,1236776,1236776#msg-1236776
1 Palestinian Cubit of 2.107038476 ft x sqrt 2 = 2.979802389 ft
1 Royal Cubit of 1.718873385 ft x sqrt 3 = 2.977176035 ft
((6 Petrie Stonehenge Units of 18.73644840 ft) / 100) x sqrt 7 = 2.974318975 ft
1 Remen of 1.216733603 ft x sqrt 6 = 2.980376480 ft
((10 Pied du Rois of 1.067438159 ft) / 8) x sqrt 5 = 2.983580357 ft
I have recently observed, possibly not for the first time, that
5 / 1.676727943 = 2.981998374
In fact, Angelopoulos’ proposed Megalithic Cubit value of 0.454055 m = 1.489681759 ft (one reason I considered this unnecessary is that there may already be a unit value related to 1.498915869 in my vocabulary), and 1.489681759 x 2 = 2.979363518, which greatly resembles the mystery unit value particularly as it is derived from the (so-called) Palestinian Cubit I work with.
While I cannot share in Angelopoulos’ precise geodetic assessment of a Megalithic Cubit (14 and 28 per se are not in my vocabulary), I can certainly support the spirit of it, and will happily point out how Angelopolous is yet another example of how when someone begins seriously researching a metrological unit, the next thing you know they are making a declaration about how the ancients knew the size of the earth.
Angelopoulos: “Obviously, this means that many thousands of years ago, the Pelasgians and Mycenaeans knew precisely the size of the Earth and had advanced knowledge of geometry and mathematics. The Greek word γεωμετρία (geometria > geometry) means exactly “measurement of the earth.”
Indeed, it is as if at very last the best known ancient metrological units were carefully chosen in this respect, that we may be led to make such declarations – accurately – no matter what unit we choose to work with.
So there you have it – I may still not have a true historical name for the unit in question, but Angelopoulos most likely has the makings of a strong case for a Megalithic Cubit. It’s not remote from other ancient units, it’s quite well integrated with them in a fairly obvious manner.
Accordingly then, for Angelopoulos’ value of 0.454055 m = 1.489681759, I would offer a refined value of 1.490999187 ft, or (5 / 1.676727943) / 2.
However, a possible cautionary note, which is that for “some books and encyclopedias wrote that the ancient Greek units of length were a foot of 0.3083 m (16 daktyloi = inches of 0.0193 m), a cubit of 0.4624 m (24 daktyloi) etc”:
0.4624 m = 1.517060367 ft. .72 Palestinian Cubits of 2.107038476 ft = 1.517067702 ft. If Angelopoulos has indeed invalidated this, it may be possible because the true relationship to the Palestinian Cubit may then be
(2 Pi) / (5 / 1.676727943) = 2.107038475 – a circular relationship rather than a linear one.
–Luke Piwalker
Luke Piwalker 