Glossary · R
Royal cubit
Also called cubit, palm, palms
The Egyptian unit of building, about 52.4 cm, divided into seven palms of four fingers each. Wooden and stone cubit rods marked with its subdivisions survive from many tombs.
See also: Seked
Rules that use the word
The Great Pyramid: 440 cubits by 280. The Great Pyramid of Khufu was laid out 440 royal cubits square and 280 cubits high, a seked of exactly 5½ palms and a slope of about 51°50′.
Measure in cubits, palms and fingers. Lay out Egyptian buildings in royal cubits (≈ 52.4 cm) of seven palms of four fingers, so that every dimension and every slope can be stated in whole or simple fractional units.
Where it appears in the book
In the chapters The Ancient World.
Nearby in the glossary
Roof comb · Roof garden · Rose window · Roughcast · Rustication · Şadırvan · Sahn · Sail vault