It is generally conceded that in Iron Age Western Europe a foot measure of about 335mm (13.2 inches) was in use. The length of this ‘Northern Foot’ was an ancient unit even at that time and was eventually adopted by the Romans as the Drusian foot.
The Northern Foot may not have been the only European Iron Age unit. The French archaeologist Jacques Dassié presents an argument for the existence of the Pied de Roi in Gaul prior to the Roman conquest, being a component of a Great Gallic League.
The Great Gallic League
To quote: “A recent measure, but prior to the metric system, is the Paris fathom = 1.949 meters. There are 6 feet to the fathom, hence 1 Paris foot (or pied de Roy) = 0.3248m. If we calculate a league from this Paris foot, with the same ratio as for the Gallic foot, we obtain: 1 league = 0.3248333 x 7500 = 2436 m. This is one of the values of the Gallic league most frequently encountered. We can therefore reasonably suppose that the Paris foot is just the continuation of a Gallic foot which would have lasted until the modern era.”
Detractors will doubtless note that it is also claimed that the Pied de Roi originated at the end of the 8th century AD with Charlemagne and is derived from the Hashimi cubit of 650mm.
So, why wouldn’t these historical units be present in Bronze Age ritual architecture? Alexander Thom suggested that his Megalithic Yard may have equated to the Spanish Vara (rod) of about 830mm. Alan Davis reports that a measure of one eighth of a megalithic yard appears to be present in cup-and-ring motifs in the north of England.
I venture to suggest that there appears to be a circumferential unit on the perimeters of stone circles that relates to the megalithic yard by a factor of pi. That is to say, had the megalith builders used a unit of about 2.6m as the circumference of a circle then the diameter would mathematically be the length of one megalithic yard, which is not to say that this yard necessarily existed as a unit of measure - though I imagine it may well have.
However, irrespective of this, one consequence would be that the unit perceived by Davis (at around 103.6mm) would produce a circumference of 325mm which happens to be one Pied de Roi, or Gallic Foot.
In this way, then, a diameter of 1MY will generate a perimeter of eight such feet (or, more properly, a circumference of eight Gallic Feet would have a diameter equal to one megalithic yard). For example, the gaps between the Aubrey Holes at Stonehenge would be 15 such Gallic Feet. So, might there be other historical units deriving from such a system of prehistoric perimetric measure?
The Nebra Disc, found in Germany, has a diameter of 32cm and, thus, a circumference of just over a metre, which is three Northern Feet. Similarly, the Trundholm sun disk has a major diametric division that generates a circumference of two Northern Feet. So, might the Northern Foot be a Bronze Age perimetric unit having an equivalent diametric megalithic yard of 854mm (that is, eight Northern Feet divided by pi)?
To check this out, one might look at one of the very few German stone circle sites. The multiple ring site at Boitin, Mecklenburg, would appear to be ideal - it has four stone circles in fair condition. The test might be to determine whether the originating circles of these four rings could have circumferences in integer units of the Northern Foot, and if the distances between their centres are measured in the corresponding megalithic yard. This occurs at Balnuaran of Clava, where the MY derived from the perimeters is 84cm and the distance between the Northeast and Southwest circles is 150 such yards which is four times the diameters of the circles.
Without going into great detail, at Boitin the four originating circles (upon which the flattened and oval designs are based) would be 75, 105, 120 and 135 Northern Feet. The diameters would therefore have the anticipated megalithic yard of 854mm as a component.
Significantly, the sides of the isosceles triangle joining the centres of the three northernmost circles are an integer number of this very yard. The sides are 18 and 29 metres, which translate to 21 and 34 megalithic yards (of 854mm) producing base angles of 36 degrees (one tenth of a revolution).
Thus, it might be that European megalithic perimetric units existed that equate to ancient measures known as far east as the Indus Valley / Persia, and that these units continued into historical times.
Perhaps, we don’t see these historical units in megalithic ritual architecture simply because they’re on the perimeters and we’re requiring them to be found on diameters. It goes without saying that if you put an integer number of units on a circumference then only rarely would you find an integer number of that same unit on the diameter.
Significantly, were every stone circle in Britain and Ireland to have a perimeter in a whole number of Gallic Feet then all diameters would be in megalithic yards and fractions thereof (eighths).
Essentially, why insist that the megalithic unit has to be on the diameter when the perimeter is likely to be the business end of the operation?
The Northern Foot may not have been the only European Iron Age unit. The French archaeologist Jacques Dassié presents an argument for the existence of the Pied de Roi in Gaul prior to the Roman conquest, being a component of a Great Gallic League.
The Great Gallic League
To quote: “A recent measure, but prior to the metric system, is the Paris fathom = 1.949 meters. There are 6 feet to the fathom, hence 1 Paris foot (or pied de Roy) = 0.3248m. If we calculate a league from this Paris foot, with the same ratio as for the Gallic foot, we obtain: 1 league = 0.3248333 x 7500 = 2436 m. This is one of the values of the Gallic league most frequently encountered. We can therefore reasonably suppose that the Paris foot is just the continuation of a Gallic foot which would have lasted until the modern era.”
Detractors will doubtless note that it is also claimed that the Pied de Roi originated at the end of the 8th century AD with Charlemagne and is derived from the Hashimi cubit of 650mm.
So, why wouldn’t these historical units be present in Bronze Age ritual architecture? Alexander Thom suggested that his Megalithic Yard may have equated to the Spanish Vara (rod) of about 830mm. Alan Davis reports that a measure of one eighth of a megalithic yard appears to be present in cup-and-ring motifs in the north of England.
I venture to suggest that there appears to be a circumferential unit on the perimeters of stone circles that relates to the megalithic yard by a factor of pi. That is to say, had the megalith builders used a unit of about 2.6m as the circumference of a circle then the diameter would mathematically be the length of one megalithic yard, which is not to say that this yard necessarily existed as a unit of measure - though I imagine it may well have.
However, irrespective of this, one consequence would be that the unit perceived by Davis (at around 103.6mm) would produce a circumference of 325mm which happens to be one Pied de Roi, or Gallic Foot.
In this way, then, a diameter of 1MY will generate a perimeter of eight such feet (or, more properly, a circumference of eight Gallic Feet would have a diameter equal to one megalithic yard). For example, the gaps between the Aubrey Holes at Stonehenge would be 15 such Gallic Feet. So, might there be other historical units deriving from such a system of prehistoric perimetric measure?
The Nebra Disc, found in Germany, has a diameter of 32cm and, thus, a circumference of just over a metre, which is three Northern Feet. Similarly, the Trundholm sun disk has a major diametric division that generates a circumference of two Northern Feet. So, might the Northern Foot be a Bronze Age perimetric unit having an equivalent diametric megalithic yard of 854mm (that is, eight Northern Feet divided by pi)?
To check this out, one might look at one of the very few German stone circle sites. The multiple ring site at Boitin, Mecklenburg, would appear to be ideal - it has four stone circles in fair condition. The test might be to determine whether the originating circles of these four rings could have circumferences in integer units of the Northern Foot, and if the distances between their centres are measured in the corresponding megalithic yard. This occurs at Balnuaran of Clava, where the MY derived from the perimeters is 84cm and the distance between the Northeast and Southwest circles is 150 such yards which is four times the diameters of the circles.
Without going into great detail, at Boitin the four originating circles (upon which the flattened and oval designs are based) would be 75, 105, 120 and 135 Northern Feet. The diameters would therefore have the anticipated megalithic yard of 854mm as a component.
Significantly, the sides of the isosceles triangle joining the centres of the three northernmost circles are an integer number of this very yard. The sides are 18 and 29 metres, which translate to 21 and 34 megalithic yards (of 854mm) producing base angles of 36 degrees (one tenth of a revolution).
Thus, it might be that European megalithic perimetric units existed that equate to ancient measures known as far east as the Indus Valley / Persia, and that these units continued into historical times.
Perhaps, we don’t see these historical units in megalithic ritual architecture simply because they’re on the perimeters and we’re requiring them to be found on diameters. It goes without saying that if you put an integer number of units on a circumference then only rarely would you find an integer number of that same unit on the diameter.
Significantly, were every stone circle in Britain and Ireland to have a perimeter in a whole number of Gallic Feet then all diameters would be in megalithic yards and fractions thereof (eighths).
Essentially, why insist that the megalithic unit has to be on the diameter when the perimeter is likely to be the business end of the operation?