The "cubit" is an ancient unit of measurement for length that was historically used in various cultures, including ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Hebrew Bible. It was typically based on the length of a person's forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. As a result, the actual length of a cubit could vary from region to region and even from person to person.
In the United Kingdom and other parts of the world where the British imperial system was historically used, a cubit was typically defined as roughly 18 inches or about 45.72 centimeters. This is often referred to as the "British cubit."
However, it's important to note that the cubit is an ancient and non-standardized unit of measurement that has largely fallen out of use in modern times. Today, standardized units such as feet, meters, and inches are used for precise measurements, and the cubit is primarily of historical and cultural interest.
The "actus" was a unit of length used in ancient Rome. It was primarily a measure of distance and was approximately equivalent to 120 Roman feet or about 35.5 meters (116.5 feet) in modern measurements.
The actus was commonly used for various purposes in ancient Rome, including land measurement, surveying, and property boundaries. It was also used in the construction of roads, aqueducts, and other civil engineering projects.
It's important to note that ancient Roman units of measurement, including the actus, were not standardized in the same way that modern units are today. Therefore, the exact length of an actus could vary in different regions and over time.
The use of the actus and other Roman units of measurement has largely been replaced by modern metric and imperial systems in contemporary times, but they remain of historical interest and can still be encountered in the study of ancient Roman culture and history.