And without writing, people knew how to count and measure accurately.
If there was saving, it was measured by the blackness of the nail. If the mind was measured, it was done with spoons. Bacon is measured in springs. Only the boundless seas were measured "up to the knees."
For a long time, the cubit was the main measure of length in Lithuania. This is the distance from the bend of the elbow to the end of the fingers (about 65 cm). For measuring longer distances, a larger measure was used - a "cord". It is a rope of 75 cubits.
At first, the land was measured in sumacs. This is the area plowed in one day. Later, the land was started to be measured with walls.
One wallachian had about 30-33 spots. The mottled comes from the German word "morgen" ("morning"). Hence, margu (about 0,71 ha) was the name of such an area of land that could be plowed in one morning, that is, from sunrise to noon.
The volume is calculated in gorts. A gortsch with a capacity of about 5,6 liters is called a big one, and a half smaller gortsch is called a shinkorin (in today's terms - "restaurant"). A quarter of the Great Gourcha is called a quart.
Money, like potatoes, was originally weighed, not counted. After all, it would sound strange if we asked the bank to issue half a kilogram of euros? But in some places the custom of "weighing money" has survived to this day (eg one pound sterling).
In Lithuania, as elsewhere, the main measure of money was the silver stick ("Lithuanian long"), in other countries it was called "marke", "ruble" or "hryvnia". It corresponded to the weight of half a pound, that is, about 200-250 g. Only later did the need for "easier" money arise, and it was no longer embarrassing to ask for change.
Today, the master "without roulette" is like having no hands. During the construction of Vilnius castles, it is also indispensable.
For example, bricks about 30 cm long are usually found in Vilnius castles. Since the craftsmen of those times did not know the meter, the bricks of this length were probably not accidental and denoted the old measure of length - the foot.
So, when studying Vilnius castles today, it is necessary to remember that various measurements should be taken not only in meters, but also in springs, feet, cubits or "cords", and sometimes even spoons.
