Re: [GZG] weights was Slightly OT - Hypothetical weapon

At 1:21 PM -0400 10/28/08, Tom B wrote:
>
>[TomB] Well, a lot of our measures are drawn from common things of
olden ages... Road widths somewhat tie to horse/wagon widths, a pound is
a useful unit for food measurement because it has some correspondence
with what you might use making a meal (or a half pound would). A foot is
somewhat like a foot. A yard is somewhat like the distance of a long
stride or fingertip to armpit for some. A quart is about what you'd
carry in a canteen. Using stones as weight might make some sense. Etc.

And you can count to 144 (a gross) with your two hands an nothing else
to mark on. Grocers bought things in units of a gross or more and sold
them individually or in smaller sets (dozens).
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