What did people use before the invention of measuring tools such as rulers?

Answer 1

Before the invention of reliable tools for measuring length and distance many measurements were based on human anatomy. Many of the terms used have been retained into modern-day usage, such as:

Inch was the width of a man's thumb at the base of the nail

Foot was the length of a man's foot

Yard the distance between the tip of a man's nose and the tip of his thumb of his outstretched hand.

Fathom from the Old English fæthm, meaning "outstretched arms", because a fathom is the distance between a man's outstretched fingertips.

nail an old English unit of length equal to 1/20 ell. Like the ell, the nail was used for measuring cloth; traditionally, it represented the length of the last two joints (including the fingernail) of the middle finger.

ell a traditional unit of length used primarily for measuring cloth. In the English system, one ell equals 20 nails. The word comes from the Latin ulna, which originally meant the elbow and is now the name of the bone on the outside of the forearm. The history of the unit is not clear. Some authorities believe the ell was originally a double forearm length.

Furlong from the Old English fuhrlang, means "the length of a furrow"; it represents the distance a team of oxen could plow without needing a rest.

Mile comes from the Latin word for 1000, mille, because originally a mile was the distance a Roman legion could march in 1000 paces (or 2000 steps, a pace being the distance between successive falls of the same foot).