Editing Mile (section)

===Roman===
The '''[[Roman units|Roman]] mile''' (''{{lang|la|{{linktext|mille passus}}}}'',<!--see talk page--> <small>{{abbr|lit.|literally}}</small>&nbsp;"thousand paces"; <small>{{abbr|abbr.|abbreviated}}</small>&nbsp;'''m.p.'''; also ''{{lang|la|milia passuum}}''{{refn|group=n|A [[partitive genitive]] construction literally meaning "one thousand of paces".{{sfnp|Lease|1905|p=211}} }} and ''{{lang|la|mille}}'') consisted of a thousand [[pace (unit)|pace]]s as measured by every other step—as in the total distance of the left foot hitting the ground 1,000 times.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bassett |first1=David R. |last2=Mahar |first2=Matthew T. |last3=Rowe |first3=David A. |last4=Morrow |first4=James R. |date=2008 |title=Walking and Measurement |url=https://journals.lww.com/00005768-200807002-00004 |journal=Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise |language=en |volume=40 |issue=7 |pages=S529–S536 |doi=10.1249/MSS.0b013e31817c699c |issn=0195-9131|doi-access=free |pmid=18562970 }}</ref> When [[Roman legion]]aries were well-fed and harshly driven in good weather, they thus created longer miles. The distance was indirectly standardised by [[Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa|Agrippa]]'s establishment of a standard [[Roman foot]] (Agrippa's own) in 29&nbsp;[[Before Christ|BC]],{{sfnp|Soren|1999|p=184}} and the definition of a pace as 5&nbsp;feet. An Imperial Roman mile thus denoted 5,000&nbsp;[[Roman feet]]. [[Agrimensor|Surveyors]] and specialised equipment such as the [[decempeda]] and [[dioptra]] then spread its use.{{sfn|Shuttleworth}}

In modern times, Agrippa's Imperial Roman mile was empirically estimated to have been about {{convert|1618|yard|m ft mi}} in length, slightly less than the {{convert|1760.|yard|m ft}} of the modern international mile.{{sfnp|Smith|1875|p=762}}

In [[Hellenistic period|Hellenic areas]] of the Empire, the Roman mile ({{langx|grc|μίλιον}}, {{lang|grc-Latn|mílion}}) was used beside the native [[Greek units]] as equivalent to 8 [[stadia (unit)|stadia]] of 600 [[Greek feet]]. The {{lang|grc-Latn|mílion}} continued to be used as a [[Byzantine units|Byzantine unit]] and was also used as the name of the [[zero mile marker]] for the [[Byzantine Empire]], the [[Milion]], located at the head of the [[Mese (Constantinople)|Mese]] near [[Hagia Sophia]].

The Roman mile spread throughout Europe, with its local variations giving rise to the different units.{{Citation needed|date=July 2019}} Also arising from the Roman mile is the [[milestone]]. All roads radiated out from the [[Roman Forum]] throughout the Empire – 50,000 (Roman) miles of stone-paved roads. At every mile was placed a shaped stone. Originally, these were [[Obelisk#Ancient Roman|obelisks]] made from granite, marble, or whatever local stone was available. On these was carved a [[Roman numeral]], indicating the number of miles from the centre of Rome – the Forum. Hence, one can know how far one is from Rome.<ref name="AdkinsAdkins2014">{{cite book|author1=Lesley Adkins|author2=Roy A. Adkins|author3=Both Professional Archaeologists Roy A Adkins|title=Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zGY1Sqjwf8kC&pg=PA199|date=14 May 2014|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-0-8160-7482-2|pages=199–}}</ref>