June 04, 2014

Measuring Like a Russian


Measuring Like a Russian

One hundred fifteen years ago today, the metric system was first introduced in Russia. Let’s take a look at what it replaced. Why should you care? Well, for one, if you like to read Russian literature, you'll meet up with these old standards from time to time...

June 4, 1899, a law was passed introducing the metric system to Imperial Russia. Its use was optional – the old system was too familiar. The Slavic system of measurement was, like many others, based primarily on body parts – the sorts of things that were available when the need arose. Much like, say, English feet, Slavic measurements were naturally variable: one person’s foot was always a little longer or shorter than someone else’s foot. In the early eighteenth century, to facilitate ordering shipbuilding materials from the West, Peter the Great – ever the reformer – redefined the official values of the measurements relative to English feet and inches, which were more or less standard even then.

The Arshin (“Foot”) – 28 inches

In terms of length, the arshin (аршин) was the base unit of the Slavic system, according to the 1899 law that tried to replace it. It was considered more or less similar, if not exactly equivalent, to the older lokot (локоть, “elbow”) and shag (шаг, “step”).

The Sazhen (“Yard”) – 3 arshins, 2.33 feet

Before Peter, a sazhen (сажень) was the base unit. It was, however, remarkably inconsistent: as many as 30 different sazhen lengths have been recorded, for various purposes and various levels of formality. The simplest sazhen is an armspan – the length from the tips of the fingers when the arms are spread all the way apart (traditionally 2.5 arshins). The 3-arshin sazhen was the official one (казённая сажень). The third common sazhen is the slanted sazhen: from the toes to the fingertips when arms and legs are extended to form an X.

The Pyad (“Span”) – ¼ arshin, 7 inches

Like the sazhen, the pyad (пядь) had several variations. Originally, it was the distance between the thumb and index finger stretched as far as possible away from each other. Want some extra distance? Measure to the middle finger – still fair game. Also common was the “pyad with a flip” – the usual pyad, plus 2-3 knuckles. By the time it was renamed chetvert (четверть, “quarter”) under Ivan the Terrible, its informal definition used the thumb and pinkie – semantically equivalent to the English “span.”

Versta-marker (milestone) on the outskirts of St. Petersburg

The Versta (“Mile”) – variable, 500-1000 sazhen

The most interesting thing about the versta (верста) is its etymology: related to “to turn,” it came from “turn of the plow” – the distance an ox could continuously pull a plow without stopping to rest or turn around. Probably depended on the ox, or the weight of the plow.

The Vershok (“Finger”) – ¼ pyad, 1.75 inches

Not to be confused with the much bigger versta, a vershok (вершок) was the smallest often-used measure of length, equivalent to an index finger. The heights of both people and animals were measured in vershoks, but don’t be fooled: if someone was described as a “12-vershok person,” it doesn’t mean they were 21 inches tall. It’s shorthand for 2 arshins and 12 vershoks, the assumption being that no adult was under 2 arshins tall (4 foot 8 inches).

Naturally, the system included far more than measures of length: dry and liquid volumes, weight, area, and even special apothecary measures. You can check out the complete list here.

 

Image credit: vnarod.livejournal.ru, calend.ru

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Frogs Who Begged...
November 01, 2010

Frogs Who Begged...

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955