Take that metric system.

Can't say I have ever seen a human take a 5.2 foot step. Perhaps at a full run but not walking. From Grok: The stride length (or more precisely, the pace in Roman terms) for an average Roman — particularly a Roman legionary (soldier) from the classical period (roughly 1st century BCE to 3rd century CE) — was standardized for military marching and road-building. Roman measurements distinguished: Gradus (single step): About 2.5 Roman feet (roughly 74 cm or 29–30 inches). Passus (full pace/stride): A double step (from one heel strike back to the same heel after the opposite foot steps), standardized as 5 Roman feet (about 1.48 meters or 4 feet 10 inches / ~148 cm). This passus was the key unit — the Roman mile (mille passus) was literally 1,000 of these paces, totaling around 1,480 meters (close to the modern statute mile's origin). For context: Average Roman men (including soldiers) were shorter than modern averages — often around 5'5" to 5'7" (165–170 cm) tall — so their natural walking stride was somewhat shorter than today's. In military marching, they trained for consistency: Vegetius describes an "ordinary step" (gradus militaris) of about 2 Roman feet (~59 cm / 24 inches) for normal pace, and a longer "full step" up to 3 feet for faster marching. The standardized passus of ~1.48 m was a brisk, trained marching stride — longer than a casual modern walk but achievable with discipline, formation marching, and fitness (legionaries were extremely conditioned, carrying heavy gear over long distances). Compared to modern averages (from your previous question: ~4.4–5 feet / 1.34–1.52 m stride for comfortable walking): A Roman soldier's effective marching stride (passus) was roughly similar or slightly shorter on average (~4.9 feet / 1.48 m), but more uniform and sustained due to training. Their single step (~2.5 ft / 76 cm) aligns closely with modern step lengths (often 2.2–2.6 ft). Variations existed based on terrain, load (60–100+ lbs of gear), speed (ordinary pace ~3–3.5 mph; full/fast pace higher), and individual height, but the ~1.48 m passus was the official benchmark for distances and mile markers along Roman roads.

5.28 foot stride? I think that is two places (or every time your right foot goes forward). People are larger today, and the stride is a little less than three feet. So this must refer to every two steps.

The reason this makes no sense is that this guy is wrong. The 5280 feet comes from being a denominator of acres and furlongs as arrived at by John Dee, the man Elizabeth I asked to standardize measures. He also invented the nautical mile.

nope. A five foot step? No. They were shorter back then, and soldiers in the Army these days average 30 inches.

An average man's step is approximately 2.5 feet. A 5.28-foot distance is actually closer to a full running stride (two steps) or a very long, forced leap. For an average man to step 5.28 feet, he would need to be sprinting or taking extremely long, exaggerated strides.

Speedo-meters. Meters. In all seriousness, the metric system is really easy. You just move a decimal point. No fractions. No conversions needed.

Take what? It's an inconvenient difficult to remember measurement, the derivation of which most people don't know or care. There is no benefit to it. It exists solely because it hasn't been replaced here yet.

A full step is left right left or 2.6 + 2.6 or 5.2

Gasp, they multiplied something with an easy to remember number! Did the ancient Roman measurements also struggle with various arbitrary random numbers with dealing with conversions like modern America? Oh, would you look at that. Practicality and uniformity.

If I ever knew that it was lost somewhere in the recesses of my brain. 🧠 Love the history factoids.

Train tracks widths also from Roman transportation!, truly all Road do lead to Roman.

Ye just because someone else also did it before, makes it perfectly logical, regardless;

It’s a thousand paces (two thousand steps).

This video is BS. No .28 at all. That was the queens doing cause she liked horse racing and added 280 feet to match furlongs. jeez.

1000 PACES (Left, Right), not 1000 steps :)

One of the best things about having a different measurement system is the cognitive requirement of translation to the system used by most of the world; a type of bilingualism which allows us to be proficient in both.

take what exactly?

The metric system is proto-commie nonsense and if its defenders were honest they would also defend the horrid system they created for time (like the 10 day week).

1000 paces, 2 steps in a pace

If you’re using metric, you’re NGMI.

A 5.28 foot PACE, not step. 1 pace = 2 steps

The US and Italy are always the best

Proof that Americans love EU and the European Union and Europeans. This also includes the red coat British who were their OG founding fathers.🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

@grok. Is this true?

5.8 feet is not just one step, were they giants?

A Roman pace was two steps. So it’s every 1,000 paces made a mile. That’s how the math actually maths in this case.

@ASo1omons It's called the imperial system for a reason

interesting word history! A refinement... Latin passus = english cognate "pace." A pace in the original context meant the distance covered by a full left-step right-step stride. Functionally, no person of average height has a single step length of 5.2 feet, but an average left/right step would be about that.

"but how many feet are in a mile, sir", "nobody knows"

I would have believed the number was chosen because it is divisible by 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,10,11,12.

@seraphine_vale

How tall was the average Roman soldier for them to have a 5.28 feet long stride? 10 feet tall? 12 feet tall?🤔 Unless they're counting 2 strides as one.... one for each leg?🤔

When I was taking geological field mapping in college we did some rough mapping using our normal step for distance. I am 6' 1" tall and my normal pace is 3 feet. I still use that method for doing various work on my farm. So I think this guy is full of BS. From the net the average height of a Roman soldiers was 5' 7". No way the lirttle buggers did anywhere close to 5 ft.