How Time Was Measured Before the Clock
How many times have you wondered, “What time is it?” and turned to your wrist only to find you forgot to put on your watch. We have become so programmed to know what time it is and schedule our lives around it that it is second nature to bend your arm, turn your wrist and get the answer. It has not always been so easy, or even necessary as you will see by looking back to a time before clocks and watches.
Like Night and Day
The precision with which we measure time today is light years away from how it was done, not so long ago. Time was once measured completely by the universe around us – and still is in a sense when you understand the science and physics behind the measurement of time and what makes a clock work (more on this in part 2). What earlier civilizations knew and relied upon each day was that the sun came up and went down and that block of time became a day. To measure greater expanses, the moon and its reliable cycles were also observed. The moon was used to measure the time period which came to be known as a month – more technically a lunar month of 28 days – or the time it took for the moon to go from new to crescent to full and new again.
Ancient Civilization
Even more than just observing the moon, sun, and planets, there are artifacts that show us that time was measured a bit more precisely. Early calendars and “clocks” were found in what is now Iraq, once the dwelling place of the ancient Sumerians, and consisted of a calendar that was divided into 30 day segments according to the cycle of the moon. It was then divided into 12 sections which corresponded to 2 hours of today’s time. Further, the calendar was sectioned off into 30 more parts equivalent to 4 modern-day minutes.
Stonehenge is located in England and was built more than 4,000 years ago. Not much is completely understood about this mysterious structure, but the way it is positioned has scientists believing that it somehow was used to record seasons and the phenomenon of lunar eclipses and the like.
Sundials
The Sumerian culture passed away without the information about their timekeeping being discovered until more modern times. The next phase of more precise time measurement was used by the Egyptians. They created the Obelisk around 3500 BC which looked like today’s Washington Monument, well-known to visitors of the Nation’s capital. This tall, tapered monument would cast shadows throughout the day, but was primitive still in how closely the time periods could be measured. It mostly reflected a change between morning and afternoon, and how the days would get shorter or longer with the seasons.
The sundial on the other hand was first used about 1500 BC and was a much smaller and more portable timekeeping device. It was divided into 10 equal parts with two additional segments representing twilight and dawn. The sundial itself then emerged from a horizontal plate to a bowl shape with pointer and inscribed lines to mark off the hours. It is believed that by 30 BC there were more than 13 different styles of sundials used in the evolving societies of Asia Minor, Italy, and Greece.
When one thinks about the precision of a finely crafted Swiss timepiece it is hard to imagine a time when time was so ambiguous. Could society function without time measurements to the very minute? Perhaps in another millennium society will wonder how we functioned living in just one time.
This is the first of a series of articles on the evolution of time measuring and how timepieces come to become what they are today.
Tags: ancient sumerians, calendars and clocks, clock, clock sound, clocks and watches, cuckoo clock, cycle of the moon, international clock, pendulum clock, sundial clock, time, travel clock, watch
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“Just imagine the chiming of a Grandfather Clock – that is the sound that turns a house into a home…”
Around 1875, the American songwriter Henry Work was staying at the George Hotel during a trip to England. He was told the unique story of their old clock and it’s previous owner, and after seeing the clock for himself, he decided to write a song about the fascinating coincidence that the clock stopped forever the moment its owner died. Mr. Work returned to America and published the song that sold over a million copies of sheet music about the clock grandfather entitled “My Grandfather’s Clock”. Until that time, clocks such as the one in the old George Hotel were given various names, but only since Henry Work’s song have large upright clocks been called ‘Grandfather Clocks’.
Grandfather clocks, also sometimes known as ‘Coffin Clocks’, come in a huge variety of sizes and designs, ranging from antiques built by famous clock makers several centuries ago, to those made today.
Pendulum clocks were developed by clockmakers in the mid 1600’s in a bid to obtain a greater degree of time-keeping accuracy. By giving them longer pendulums, clocks kept better time. These long-pendulum clocks were placed in tall wooden cases so that they could stand upright on the floor.
Since then, Grandfather clocks have become very popular items of household furniture, and have appeared in a huge variety of cases – many styles of which became fashionable, and then fell out of favor as fashion tastes changed. Grandfather clocks were sometimes embellished with ornate woodcarving, and often came complete with chimes, tunes, and moon-phase dials.
Clock collecting is a serious passion for many clock lovers around the world. Today, some antique clocks from the 1600’s to 1700’s fetch tens of thousands of dollars.
Tags: american songwriter, antique clocks, chime, clock collecting, clockmakers, clocks, george hotel, grandfather clock, grandfather clock makers, Grandfather Clocks, Henry Work, household furniture, old grandfather clock, pendulum clock, pendulum clocks, tall case clock, wood clock
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For a very long time, and possibly since the beginning of intelligent human thought, man has been using one method or another to mark the passage of time. Originally, the sun, the moon and the stars were used to achieve this. For about 5000 years, there has been some form of clock making. From the beginning, man has been obsessed with time and even now, society is based around time. Some of the most beautiful time-keeping pieces are
grandfather clocks.
The origin of the
grandfather clock started with Galileo Galilei in 1582 when he discovered that a pendulum could be used for keeping time. Although this discovery belongs to Galileo, the first in a very long line of grandfather clocks was a
pendulum clock invented by Christiaan Huygens. Huygens was a Dutch scientist, and his prototype was imitated by many. At first, grandfather clocks were made of cast iron pieces and were mounted on the wall. Before long, they were encased in wood.
Between 1630 and 1730, grandfather clocks were really redeveloped and improved upon. They evolved from those original cast iron wall pieces to floor models that were over 7 feet tall. Their timing was improved as well, from minutes a day to a few seconds a week variance. This made them much more precise and a minute hand was also added. They went from functional time pieces to a true art and pieces of real beauty. They were also encased in glass so that the longer pendulum and weights were displayed.
They were originally made for royalty and nobles, but after some period of time the production costs came down. This meant that while they were still very expensive, families which were not royalty could place grandfather clocks in their homes. In the late 1600’s, these clocks were being produced by Americans. This practice began in New England and later spread to the rest of America. Since they were still very expensive, only wealthy families could afford them. They became a symbol of wealth and status. It is interesting to note that at this point, these clocks were known as ‘wags on the wall’ clocks, ‘long case’ clocks, or ‘floor’ clocks. The name ‘grandfather clock’ came not long after this time period.
While these types of clocks are far more affordable to families today, they are still a mark of taste, class and beauty in the home. They are more enjoyed for their history and their beauty than just their time keeping abilities. They have had a long journey from their beginnings to now, and they are a symbol of history, beauty and craftsmanship.
Posted by Author LaZinnia Manley
Visit me on the web at [http://www.lazinniahomedecor.com]LaZinnia Home Decor and Gifts
Tags: Christiaan Huygens, collect grandfather clocks, grandfather clock, grandfather clock history, Grandfather Clocks, pendulum clock
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