Time Throughout the Ages

By SraOnorato
  • 3000 BCE

    Obelisk

    Early Egyptians observed the position of a shadow cast by an obelisk, a tower-like structure with four sides.
  • 1500 BCE

    Burning Rope Clock

    In ancient China, knots were tied at equal intervals into thick ropes. The ropes were then burned. The passage of time was marked by the progress of the burning between knots.
  • 1500 BCE

    Clepsydra (Water Clock)

    Many civilizations include Greek and Egyptian, Korean, Chinese, and native peoples of North America created variations of the "water clock." Each used the flow of water from a suspended device or into a floating device to measure the passing of time.
  • 500 BCE

    Candle Clocks

    Upon the invention/use of candles in many civilizations, they became a tool for measuring time. Either by observing how long the entire candle took to burn or by placing notches into the wax at regular intervals and noticing how many notches had melted.
  • 300 BCE

    Sundial

    Babylonians began created sundials, flat circles with vertical markers known as "gnomons" attached to their middle. The passing of time was observed when the gnomon cast a shadow onto locations on the 12-hour clock face.
  • 1100

    Hourglass

    Evidence demonstrated that these devices were first used in Europe. Made from pottery or glass, an hourglass was made from two containers fused together at a funnel like opening and holding an amount of material that would pass easily between containers. When the cylinder was flipped the material would take a specific amount of time to fall to the opposite container.
  • 1300

    Mechanical Clock

    First documented in Europe, mechanical clocks used principles of physics with weights and balances demonstrating the passage of time in a 12 hour period.
  • 1400

    Watches

    Observed first in Italy, watches had a 12 hour face, were small enough to be worn on a belt or carried in a pocket. They required winding to measure time.

  • Mechanical Clock (with pendulum)

    The European addition of the pendulum to mechanical clocks increases their accuracy.

  • Digital Clock

    Unveiled in the U.S. at the World's Fair, the digital clock/watch uses batteries and quartz crystal to keep time.