Inductive Metrology

Or, The Recovery of Ancient Measures from the Monuments

af William Matthew Flinders Petrie

As a young man, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) published in 1877 this innovative approach to metrology, based on his early surveying experiences. It analyses monuments from a range of civilisations to determine their methods of linear measurement. Notably, Petrie establishes that societies without writing systems could also make accurate measurements.