The Roman field was planned by Agrimensores with an instrument “Groma.” They made at first straight roads pointing north and south was called Kardos and east west road was called Limes Decumanus. With these two roads as axis they divided their field into sections 2400 Roman feet (nearly equal to 710.4 metres) square which was called Centuria. One Centuria was also divided into 100 Heredia by small lanes. Each Heredium had 240 Roman feet square. (See Map I)
It is said that Romulus, the founder of Rome, gave one Heredium to each of his people. One Heredium consisted of two Jugera, and one Jngerum was the area which two oxen could till in one day. One Jugerum had two Acti. One Actus was the area of 120 Roman feet square.
We can find as yet in many plains of Italy and other European countries, for example in England, the remnant of the Roman field system. The township system of northern America may be said the hereditary of the Roman field system.
Ancient Chinese in Chou Dynasty also planned their field by making the main road crossing each other at right. angles. The north-south road was called T'sien and the east-west one Me. Later on with these two roads as axis they divided the field with basic block of one Ri or 300 Pu (nearly equal to 414.5 metres) square, called Tsing-t'ien. One Tsing-t'ien was composed of nine Fu which was 100 Pu square. Fu means one family's holding, so one Tsing-t'ien was the ideal type of small village which had eight families settled themselves at central Fu section, and had to farm other eight Fus. (See Map II).
The field planning of Romans and that of ancient Chinese both with their square shaped field can also be called as square field system, each resembling so much that it seems these two methods must have a common origin.
This field system was planned at first in the suburbs of Rome and Loyang, capital of Chou Dynasty, in the age of their city state. Therefore the origin of the former system may be traced back to the Orient where the foremost city state blossomed in human history.
The square field system was planned with great accuracy by survey and arranged irrigation ditches alongside the roads and lanes, also the standard shape of the field was decided by ploughing with two oxen.
These characteristics of agriculture are just the same which Prof. Gordon Chiide has called as the second revolution of human civilization. He says that this city revolution has occured at first in Mesopotamia, Egypt and India relating each other, and from there it spread out all over the world.
We have found not yet the exact remnant of the square field system in these oldest countries. But some inscribed tablets show the continuity of the method adopted for example, Agrimensores of Rome, elected boundary stones after surveying at the corners of the field, and in Mesopotamia we know there were also boundary stones, and in the Sumerian city state the people (Sûb-lugal) were provided with uniformed feud.
Chinese Tsing-Vien system also propagated to the east Asian countries, and especially in Japan we have a typical square field system “Jori.”
Yamato basin, Nara prefecture, famous with many old temples, is the district in which Jori system was being held perfectly, Naka Gaido, the north-south road which runs in middle of the basin, was the principal meridian, and Yoko. Ohoji, east-west road connecting Sakurai, Yagi, and Takata towns which runs rather southern part of the basin was the base line of Jori of Yamato. Ground Block of Joni was called Ri and was one Ri square, the length Ri which was introduced from Ti of Chinese but prolonged a little, was about 640 metres. (See Map III).
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