In the language of today's youth there is the word "stopudovo", which means complete accuracy, confidence and maximum effect. That is, “one hundred pounds” is the largest measure of volume, if words have such weight? How much is a pood in general, does anyone who uses this word know?
A pood of s alt for two
This is an old measure of the volume of bulk products, equal to forty pounds, in kilograms it is a little more than sixteen, and more precisely - 16.38 kg by today's standards. It is believed that the name comes from the Latin pondus, which means "weight". Pounds were originally measured for honey, flour and s alt as the most popular goods, but later this measure of volume extended to all solid and heavy products.
At the present time, the term "pood weight" has been preserved only among heavyweight athletes, the classical weight of sixteen kilograms is called "pood weight".
At the same time, a pood was not considered the largest weight value - ten poods were collected in a new wholesale measure: Berkovets, whose name comes from the island of Bjork, with which ancient merchants traded. This wasthe weight of one ordinary barrel filled with wax, which could be loaded onto a ship by one worker. Almost 164 kilograms in one fell swoop! Indeed, in Russia every second was a hero.
Measures of weight
In addition to the pood and Berkovets, there were also smaller Russian measures of the volume of products:
- The pound, which was also called the hryvnia, consisted of 32 lots or 96 spools. By our standards, this is almost 410 grams. This measure of weight is one of the few that has stood the test of time - in America and Western European countries it is still used as the main one. In Russia, the hryvnia was both a measure of weight and a monetary unit, being the most common among merchants.
- The lot was equal to three spools (12.8 grams) and was a very common measure: a unit of volume in cooking and in pharmacy.
- Zolotnik (zlatnik) was originally the name of a gold coin weighing 4.26 grams in modern terms, it was used by merchants instead of a weight on the scales, weighing out everyday goods: sugar, tea and s alt. In 1899, the spool was officially classified as a measure of volume of weight.
- The proportion was considered the smallest measure of weight in ancient times - its weight is about 0.044 grams, it was used by pharmacists. Ninety-six shares made one spool.
Measuring the volume of liquids
The leading measuring container for measuring liquids was a bucket (12 liters), which, starting from the tenth century, measured alcoholic beverages (honey, mead, kvass, beer and mash), water for making largequantities of food at feasts and a variety of berries, later cereals, milk and small fruits and vegetables. The bucket was divided into smaller components, very convenient for home use and alcohol trade in taverns.
It was the “wine” measures that included more than a dozen items, and there was still a strict arithmetic ratio and was a multiple of four: 1:2:4:8:16.
The bucket was divided into ten mugs, one hundred cups or two hundred scales. At the same time, there was a value of twenty bottles of vodka, which was also equal to one bucket (modern boxes of vodka also include exactly twenty bottles, which means one bucket), which, in turn, was divided into half and a quarter (three liters). For some time, "korchaga" was still used, which was equated to one and a half buckets (according to some sources, a bucket and three quarters).
The largest measure of volume was considered a barrel, which contained forty buckets, it was mainly used for wholesale trade with foreigners, since the retail sale of alcoholic beverages was prohibited for them. There were also small kegs of five liters.
Additionally, a large number of "home" measuring containers were used in everyday life, which were not permanent, but were used quite often: a boiler, a jug, a valley, a tues and a box, a tub, a tub and a tub, a wineskin (this volume, most likely, came from eastern countries), measures of dairy products were still actively used: a jug, a jug, a pail.
All these containers were often slightly different in size, so they did not have exact proportions.
How spirits were measured
The heyday of "wine measures" fell on the era of Peter the Great and reached large-scale dimensions: drinking establishments and taverns offered a wide selection of drinks on tap:
- A quarter was equal to three liters, also called a large glass bottle with a long neck.
- The bottle (also called the Russian bottle) contained six hundred milligrams of liquid.
- The mug was large (by today's standards) - 1.23 liters - and contained exactly ten cups.
- A cup was equal to 0, 123 liters and was a running container for lovers of "hot"; in everyday life there was a slang name: Korets (hook).
- A stack - it was considered an acceptable norm for a single intake of alcohol, its volume was exactly one hundred grams.
- Shkalik - it was popularly called a "skewer" and equated to half a cup - 60 grams.
- Damask passed from the Germans and firmly established itself, equal to a tenth of a bucket or two bottles (1, 2 liters) and contained ten cups. Based on this, a half-damask, equal to half a bottle, was also in demand.
- The quarter was the smallest measure of the volume of liquids, containing only 37 and a half grams.
All these measures of volume were approved by the "Charter on Wine" in 1781 and have survived to this day.
Written in yard letters
The most commonly used measure of length and width were fathoms and arshins. A sazhen was equal to one and a halfmeters - this is the span of the hands of an average person, and arshin - to seventy-two centimeters (they say that this size was originally taken from the size of the ruler of Peter the Great, which he often carried with him), that is, two arshins is almost a fathom. These measures were used to calculate height, short distances, dimensions during the construction of objects - it was convenient and practical, because the “ruler” was always with him.
There was also an oblique sazhen in use - this is the distance between the toe of the foot and the opposite hand raised above the head: the distance was within two and a half meters. And another measure competed with the arshin - a step, which was equated with almost the same length - 72 centimeters.
For measuring small objects
Elbow, according to various sources, was equal to 38 or 47 centimeters, this is the length of the arm from the end of the middle finger to the elbow joint. This size was ideal for cloth merchants, whose rolls were up to 60 cubits long.
The palm was considered the sixth part of the cubit and was used to calculate small areas during construction.
The span was divided into several options:
- The small span (in some areas it was called "a quarter") was counted between widely stretched thumb and forefinger and was equal to 17.78 centimeters.
- Big span - between the thumb and little finger (23 cm).
- Span with a somersault - the length of the first two joints of the index finger was added to the usual span, which equated to almost thirty centimeters.
- Vershok - inin modern terms, it is 4.44 centimeters, which was equal to one sixteenth of an arshin. Height was often measured with inches.
Mile - this measure was used to measure long distances, its second name is "field", which denoted the length of one strip from the edge of the field to the first turn of the plow. Later they began to use it to calculate the length of the path, roads and distances between settlements. At different times, there were a different number of fathoms in a verst: before Peter the Great - 500, and since the reign of Alexei - already a thousand.
Measures for calculating areas
Tithing (which was divided into smaller components) and a square sazhen were used to account for plowed and sown lands. One tithe was equal to 2,400 square sazhens (1,093 hectares) and was divided into half a tithe and a quarter of a tithe. A square sazhen consisted of four and a half square meters, which was 16 square meters. arshins. Also, a shock was added to these methods of calculation - this is one tenth of a tithe, in this way they counted the amount of grain and hay harvested in stacks (heaps).
Currency
The Old Slavonic monetary system characteristically emphasized the originality and uniqueness of the Russian nation: quadruple (25 rubles), rubles (the second name of the metal ruble), altyn (3 kopecks) and five- altynny (three × five=15), a dime worth 10 kopecks and a penny (the smallest bargaining chip, equated to one penny) - what pleasing names!
Under Peter the Great, the wages of an ordinary worker ranged from five to eight kopecks a day, this amountwas equal to the cost of half a pood of bread - that's eight kilograms! It's a lot like for that time.
Proverbs and sayings about measures
Russian flavor is clearly seen in proverbs, revealing to the world all the subtleties of psychology, the life wisdom of the Slavs in simple, accessible words.
"Eat a pood of s alt for two" - about the fact that you need to spend a lot of time with a person in order to know him from all sides.
"Small spool, but expensive" - size doesn't matter.
"Find out how much a pound is dashing" - feel the weight of grief and suffering.
“From the pot two inches, and already a pointer” - about young people who do not have their own life experience, but are trying to teach others how to live.
"Measure by your own arshin" - use your personal measure, not the generally accepted one, be subjective.
"Seven miles to a good fellow is not a detour" - about the fact that a real man can do everything and the distance is not a problem for him.
"Seven spans in the forehead" - so they said about wise and well-read people.
The scarcity of modern measured values
The table below shows the measures and volumes of modern times, how much all quantities have been reduced and simplified.
| Liquid volumes: liter, glass, tablespoon, teaspoon |
| Measures of length: millimeter, centimeter, decimeter, meter, kilometer |
| Measures of area: are, hectare, sq. meter, sq. kilometer, sq. centimeter |
| Measures of mass: gram, kilogram, centner, ton |
The zest of the national language and the variety of variants disappeared, the desire to systematize everything and drive it into the framework of the "Russian soul" defeated the creative flight of the great and mighty language. Only the "costs of the past" remain - magnificent proverbs that still retain their lost greatness.
