Here's How People Tracked Time Before Watches

The world is an easy place today. Sure, there are great problems that still await to be resolved, but then, the modern man does not depend on natural factors to get his work done. For instance, in case one wishes to know the date and date, one does not need to study the moon, the stars, or the sun. One simply needs to check the date in the devices or maybe a calendar. Similarly, if one wishes to know the exact time, one can easily check the phone or a watch for the time.

However, things weren't easy in the past. Ever wondered how people used to track time in the past when there were no devices or watches? Well, prior to the advent of modern devices that enable effortless timekeeping, people made use of a multitude of ingenious measures to track and understand time. Such methods were actually based on several astronomical observations and natural phenomena. Sometimes, people also made use of early mechanical inventions to measure time. Today, we tried to dig into the past a bit and describe how people tracked time in the past when there were no watches for their help.

Sundials

Sundials were powerful tools that helped in measuring time by harnessing the power of the sun. This is one of the earliest timekeeping instruments. The instrument dates back to ancient Egypt, over 1500 BCE. Sundials make use of the position of the shadow cast of the sun by a gnomon, onto a flat surface. This flat surface used to be marked with hours. The instrument helps in measuring time in such a way that as the sun moved across the sky, the shadow cast also moved, and this indicated the time. The instruments not only served the purpose of measuring time, but they used to be so beautifully crafted that they were often seen as artistic pieces as well.

Water Clocks

These instruments were also called clepsydras. These were made for use by ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, the Chinese, and the Egyptians. Now, these instruments help in measuring time by the regulated flow of water flowing from one container to the other. Gradually, the Greeks attempted to improve the design to enhance the accuracy of time tracking by adding gears and wheels to the mechanism. Water clocks could be used indoors, and they served a wide array of functions, such as regulating irrigation to timing speeches.

Hourglasses

It was in the Middle Ages when hourglasses emerged. These beautiful-looking instruments are seen as an iconic symbol of the passage of time. The design is simple, yet very well-thought. The design comprises a narrow neck connecting two glass bulbs. These glass bulbs carry sand flowing from the upper bulb to the lower bulb at a steady rate. These instruments were used for a wide array of tasks, such as church services, cooking, and maritime navigation. These devices were also preferred a lot as they were quite portable. Also, they provided an accurate way to track specific intervals of time.

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Astronomical Observations

Mechanical clocks have been helping mankind in tracking time, but even before the advent of mechanical clocks, mankind used to depend upon the movement of some celestial bodies in order to track time. Mayans brought forward a sophisticated calendar that relied on the solar and lunar cycles. The ancient Egyptians too made use of the rising and setting of the Sirius star in order to predict the annual flooding of the Nile. Ancient people used to observe the positions of the sun and the phases of the moon to curate calendars. These calendars then governed the social, religious, and agricultural activities.

Mechanical Clocks

The dawn of precision timekeeping, in other words, the advent of mechanical clocks started in the 14th century. The birth of such clocks initially took place in church towers. However, these spread across public buildings later. These early mechanical clocks made use of escapements, gears, and weights to regulate time.

The Final Note

Understanding time before the advent of the watch thus carried a rich tapestry of measures that amalgamated practically, observation, and ingenuity. The timekeeping practices discussed above laid the basis for the precise timepieces used today.

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