Hand (unit) Biblical exegesis the hand measurement, as for example in the Vision of the Temple, Authorized Version , is usually taken to be palm or handbreadth, and in modern translations may be rendered as "handbreadth" or "three inches". The hand is a traditional unit in the UK. It was standardised at four inches by a statute of King Henry VIII in 1540, but some confusion between the various types of hand measurement, and particularly between the hand and the handsbreadth, appears to have persisted. Phillips's dictionary of 1706 gives four inches for the length of the handful or hand, and three
The Measure of Civilization eastern and western civilizations across 15,000 years. The International Studies Association and Social Science History Association devoted panels to discussing the book at their 2013 annual meetings. The book has been translated into Chinese. The Measure of Civilization The Measure of Civilization: How Social Development Decides the Fate of Nations is a history book by the British historian Ian Morris, published in January 2013. It is the companion volume to Morris's 2010 award-winning book, "Why the West Rules—For Now". The book explains in details the evidence and statistical methods used to construct the social development index in "Why the West