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The stadia, stadium, stade or stadion is an ancient unit of length. According to Herodotus
Herodotus

Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greeks historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture....
, one stade is equal to 600 feet. However, there were several different lengths of “feet”, depending on the country of origin.



Which measure of the stadia is used can affect the interpretation of ancient texts.






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The stadia, stadium, stade or stadion is an ancient unit of length. According to Herodotus
Herodotus

Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greeks historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture....
, one stade is equal to 600 feet. However, there were several different lengths of “feet”, depending on the country of origin.

Stade nameLength (approximate)Description
Itinerary157 mused in measuring the distance of a journey.
Olympic176 m600 × 294 mm
Attic/Italic185 m600 × 308 mm
Babylonian-Persian196 m600 × 327 mm
Phoenician-Egyptian209 m600 × 349 mm


Which measure of the stadia is used can affect the interpretation of ancient texts. For example, the error in the calculation of the size of the Earth by Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes

Eratosthenes of Cyrene was a Greeks mathematician, poet, sportsperson, geographer and astronomer. He made several discoveries and inventions including a system of latitude and longitude....
 is dependent on which stade is chosen to be appropriate.

See also

  • Stadium
    Stadium

    A modern stadium is a place, or venue, for outdoor sports, concerts or other events, consisting of a field or stage partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event....
  • Stadion
    Stadion

    The stadion was an ancient foot race, part of the Ancient Olympic Games and the other Panhellenic Games.The stadion was named after the building in which it took place, also called the stadion....
  • Ancient Egyptian units of measurement#the ro or portion
    Ancient Egyptian units of measurement

    The Ancient Egyptian unit of linear measurement was known as the Royal Cubit, was maintained as 523.5mm in length, and was subdivided into 7 palms of 4 digits each, giving 28 digits....
  • Ancient Greek units of measurement#Length
    Ancient Greek units of measurement

    Ancient Greek units of measurement were built mainly upon the ancient Egyptian weights and measures, and formed the basis of the later ancient Roman weights and measures....


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