Agricola, Georgius - De re metallica

1for among the Greeks, who called it an όργυιά, it was six feet, among the
Romans five feet. So this measure which is used by miners seems to
have come down to the Germans in accordance with the Greek mode of
reckoning. A miner's foot approaches very nearly to the length of a Greek
foot, for it exceeds it by only three-quarters of a Greek digit, but like that
of the Romans it is divided into twelve uncíae2.

Now square fathoms are reckoned in units of one, two, three, or more
“measures”, and a “measure” is seven fathoms each way. Mining
meers are for the most part either square or elongated; in square meers all the
sides are of equal length, therefore the numbers of fathoms on the two sides
multiplied together produce the total in square fathoms. Thus, if the
shape of a “measure” is seven fathoms on every side, this number multi
plied by itself makes forty-nine square fathoms.

The sides of a long meer are of equal length, and similarly its ends are
equal; therefore, if the number of fathoms in one of the long sides be multi
plied by the number of fathoms in one of the ends, the total produced by the

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