11/08/2021
Boucher proposes a clever theory about ancient units of measurement and then tests that theory against historical data and artifacts. After noting that a major Sumerian unit of measurement is the same as what was initially proposed as the meter in the seventeenth century, Boucher, an engineer, posits that all ancient measurements are based on the length of a pendulum swinging at a certain rate. His analysis focuses on five different pendulum-based units of measurement and then derives from them alternative ways to measure time (from the passage of the sun, the moon, and a star, respectively), as well as latitude details, producing nine slightly dissimilar unit measurements, such as the geodetic foot from ancient Sumeria and the royal cubit from ancient Egypt.
Boucher’s observations and equations are impressive and meticulously recorded in his extensive tables of data, illustrations of astronomical phenomena, his own constructed pendulum apparatus, and illustrations of ancient measurement standards. Boucher works to derive units of length through the pendulum, but most of the surviving units are volume and weight (thankfully, these are derived from the units of length). Some readers may wish for deeper exploration of historical literature: though Boucher does cite a limited number of texts, credible assurance that his measurement standards are authoritative would bolster his argument, as would documentary evidence of the use of pendulums in measurement.
Despite the technical nature of this work, Boucher takes care to define terms clearly and walk readers through the basics of determining length from a pendulum. He also clearly illustrates how this history began with the ancient Sumerians but continues to impact us even today, through the imperial system of measurement. Ancient Measurement expertly traces how past engineers would have been able to use celestial observation and the pendulum to create accurate and reproducible units of measurement, foundational elements of commerce and civilization.
Takeaway: The engineering-minded historian will find this theory of ancient measurements illuminating and well analyzed.
Great for fans of: David Rooney’s About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks, Simon Winchester’s The Perfectionists.
Production grades Cover: B+ Design and typography: B Illustrations: A- Editing: A- Marketing copy: A-