# Rope (unit)

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{{Short description|Unit of measurement}}
A '''rope''' may refer to any of several [units of measurement](/source/units_of_measurement) initially determined or formed by [rope](/source/rope)s or [knotted cord](/source/knotted_cord)s.

==Length==
{{hatnote|Main articles: [schoenus](/source/schoenus), [schoinion](/source/schoinion), & [sen](/source/sen_(unit)).}}
The [Greco](/source/Ancient_Greek_units)-[Roman](/source/Roman_units_of_measurement) '''[schoenus](/source/schoenus)''', supposedly based on an [Egyptian unit](/source/Ancient_Egyptian_units) derived from a wound [reed](/source/juncaceae) [measuring rope](/source/knotted_cord), may also be given in translation as a "rope". According to [Strabo](/source/Strabo), it varied in length between 30 and 120 [stadia](/source/stadia_(unit)) (roughly 5 to 20 km) depending on local custom.

The [Byzantine](/source/Byzantine_units) equivalent, the '''[schoinion](/source/schoinion)''' or "little rope", varied between 60 and 72 [Greek feet](/source/Greek_feet) depending upon the location.

The [Thai](/source/Thai_units) '''[sen](/source/sen_(unit))''' of 20 [Thai fathom](/source/Thai_fathom)s or 40 m also means and is translated "rope".

The [Somerset](/source/Somerset) rope was a former [English unit](/source/English_units_of_measurement) used in drainage and hedging. It was 20&nbsp;[feet](/source/feet_(unit)) (now precisely [6.096](/source/1E0_m)&nbsp;m).<ref name=zuppy/><ref name=fte/>

==Area==
The [Romans](/source/Ancient_Romans) used the [schoenus](/source/schoenus) as an alternative name for the half-[jugerum](/source/jugerum) formed by a square with sides of 120 [Roman feet](/source/Roman_feet).

In Somerset, the rope could also double as a measure of area equivalent to 20 feet by 1 foot. Walls in Somerset were formerly sold "per rope" of 20 sq ft.<ref name=zuppy>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=A Dictionary of English Weights and Measures for the British Isles|author=Ronald Edward Zupko|authorlink=Ronald Edward Zupko|article=rope|pages=356|publisher=DIANE Publishing|year=1985|isbn=9780871691682}}</ref><ref name=fte>{{cite book|title=The Dialect of West Somerset: A Paper Read Before the Philological Society, January 15, 1875|url=https://archive.org/details/dialectwestsome00elwogoog|author=Frederick Thomas Elworthy|authorlink=Frederick Thomas Elworthy|publisher=Trübner & co.|year=1875|page=[https://archive.org/details/dialectwestsome00elwogoog/page/n858 631]}}</ref>{{refn|See [Lawrence](/source/John_Lawrence_(writer)) for an example of calculating the expense of building a wall in Somerset by the rope.<ref>{{cite book|title=The New Farmer's Calendar, Or, Monthly Remembrancer|url=https://archive.org/details/newfarmerscalen00lawrgoog|author=John Lawrence|location=London|publisher=C. Whittingham|year=1801|chapter=On Fences, &c.|page=[https://archive.org/details/newfarmerscalen00lawrgoog/page/n255 245]}}.</ref>}}

==Garlic==
In medieval [English units](/source/English_units_of_measurement), the rope of [garlic](/source/garlic) was a set unit of 15 heads of garlic. 15 such ropes made up the "[hundred](/source/hundred_(unit))" of garlic.<ref>{{Citation |title=Statutes of the Realm |volume=I |date=1810 |location=London |publisher=G. Eyre & A. Strahan |page=204 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [Egyptian](/source/Ancient_Egyptian_units_of_measurement), [Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek_units_of_measurement), [Roman](/source/Ancient_Roman_units_of_measurement), [Thai](/source/Thai_units_of_measurement), and [English units](/source/English_units_of_measurement)
* [Knotted cord](/source/Knotted_cord)
* [Knot](/source/Knot_(unit)), a related unit

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Units of length
Category:Units of area
Category:History of Somerset

{{Unit-measurement-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rope (unit)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_(unit)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_(unit)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.