Believe it or not, the US rod is a close relative to the Italian pertica, which is a traditional unit of length and surface, coming straight from the Roman Empi

Believe it or not, the US rod is a close relative to the Italian pertica, which is a traditional unit of length and surface, coming straight from the Roman Empire. It's still used to refer to the size of fields. I found it recently in some sales announcements. Of course every city had its own variant. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pertica_(unit%C3%A0_di_misura) https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pertica_(unit%C3%A0_di_misura)