Roman Mile (m.p.) - Unit Information & Conversion
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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.
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:
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Convert Roman Mile
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Roman Mile Quick Info
Related Length Units
Popular Conversions
- Roman Mile to MeterConvert â1 m.p. = 1480 m
- Roman Mile to KilometerConvert â1 m.p. = 1.48 km
- Roman Mile to HectometerConvert â1 m.p. = 14.8 hm
- Roman Mile to DecimeterConvert â1 m.p. = 14800 dm
- Roman Mile to CentimeterConvert â1 m.p. = 148000 cm
- Roman Mile to MillimeterConvert â1 m.p. = 1480000 mm