Roman Mile (m.p.) - Unit Information & Conversion
What is a Roman Mile?
Definition
The Roman Mile (mille passus, meaning "thousand paces"; symbol m.p.) was the standard Roman unit for measuring longer distances.
It was defined as 1,000 Roman paces (passus).
Since one passus (a double step) was equal to 5 Roman feet (pes), the Roman mile was equivalent to:
- 1,000 paces (passus)
- 5,000 Roman feet (pedes)
The exact length varied slightly depending on the precise definition of the Roman foot used, but it is typically estimated as:
- Approximately 1,480 meters (m)
- Approximately 1.48 kilometers (km)
- Approximately 0.919 statute miles (mi)
- Approximately 4,856 feet (ft) (using a common estimate for the Roman foot)
History
The Roman mile was established during the Roman Republic and Empire and was used extensively throughout Roman territories for measuring roads, distances between cities, and military movements. Roman roads were famously marked with milestones (miliarium) indicating the distance in Roman miles, often back to the Milliarium Aureum (Golden Milestone) in the Forum Romanum.
The Roman mile significantly influenced the development of the mile unit in other countries, including the English statute mile, although the lengths eventually diverged.
Common Uses
- Historical Measurement: Used ubiquitously in the Roman Empire for all land distances.
- Historical Texts: Essential for understanding distances mentioned in Roman literature, historical accounts, and geographical works.
- Archaeology: Used to interpret Roman road networks, milestone placements, and site layouts.
Unit FAQs
How long was a Roman Mile compared to a modern mile?
A Roman mile (approx. 1480 m) was shorter than the modern international statute mile (1609.344 m). A Roman mile is about 92% the length of a modern statute mile.
What does 'mille passus' mean?
It's Latin for "a thousand paces". Mille means thousand, and passus refers to the Roman pace (a double step of 5 Roman feet).
How many feet were in a Roman Mile?
There were 5,000 Roman feet (pedes) in one Roman mile.
Is the Roman Mile still used?
No, the Roman mile is obsolete and not used for any modern measurements. It is purely a historical unit. Modern distances are measured in kilometers or statute miles.
Roman Mile Conversion Formulas
To Meter:
To Kilometer:
To Hectometer:
To Decimeter:
To Centimeter:
To Millimeter:
To Inch:
To Foot:
To Yard:
To Mile:
To Nautical Mile:
To Micrometer:
To Nanometer:
To Light Year:
To Astronomical Unit:
To Parsec:
To Angstrom:
To Point (Typography):
To Mil/Thou:
To Fathom:
To Furlong:
To Link (Gunter's):
To Pace:
To Span:
To Digit:
To Cable Length:
To Ell:
To Finger:
To Stadion:
To Chi (Chinese):
To Shaku (Japanese):
To Li (Chinese):
To Toise:
To Bolt:
To Rope:
To Smoot:
To Sajene:
To Ken:
To Wa:
To Vara:
To Aln:
To Cubit (Royal/Egyptian):
To Versta:
To Arpent:
To Ri (Japanese):
To Klafter:
To Yojana:
To Skein:
Convert Roman Mile
Need to convert Roman Mile to other length units? Use our conversion tool.
Roman Mile Quick Info
Related Length Units
- Meterm
- Kilometerkm
- Hectometerhm
- Decimeterdm
- Centimetercm
- Millimetermm
- Inchin
- Footft
- Yardyd
- Milemi
- Nautical MileNM
- Micrometerμm
- Nanometernm
- Light Yearly
- Astronomical UnitAU
- Parsecpc
- AngstromÅ
- Point (Typography)pt
- Mil/Thoumil
- Fathomfath
- Furlongfur
- Link (Gunter's)li
- Pacepace
- Spanspan
- Digitdigit
- Cable Lengthcb
- Ellell
- Fingerfinger
- Stadionstadion
- Chi (Chinese)chi
- Shaku (Japanese)shaku
- Li (Chinese)li
- Toisetoise
- Boltbolt
- Roperope
- Smootsmoot
- Sajenesajene
- Kenken
- Wawa
- Varavara
- Alnaln
- Cubit (Royal/Egyptian)cubit
- Verstaversta
- Arpentarpent
- Ri (Japanese)ri
- Klafterklafter
- Yojanayojana
- Skeinskein