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3 years ago in History , Metrology By Karan D

What was the length of a Spann (in cm) in the Habsburg Empire in 1659?

I’m working on a dissertation chapter about standardization in early modern economies. I’ve encountered the unit “Spann” in Habsburg trade documents from 1659. I need the exact metric equivalent to analyze product dimensions and compare them with other regional measures of the time.

 

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By Admin@gmail.com Answered 1 year ago

This is a classic challenge in historical metrology. I’ve worked with these records and must caution that there was no single, empire-wide standard in 1659. A Spann (span) was typically the distance between the thumb and little finger of an outstretched hand, leading to local variation. However, for the Habsburg territories in this period, the most commonly referenced Spann for trade was based on the Viennese foot. Based on that standard, one Spann would generally equate to approximately 22.5 to 24.5 centimeters. You must always cite the specific town or region your document references.

 

 

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