Everyday Things: Time at the bar

We all use them, but where did they originate? The word ‘clock’ comes from the French word “cloche” meaning bell, but long before clocks were on the scene, we used nature to tell the time. The first humans used the position of the sun to estimate the time of day. Obviously there were problems during heavy cloud or at night of course! The Egyptians, in about 3500BC constructed huge obelisks to use as sundials; these cast shadows on the ground, which changed position throughout the day. By 1500BC, smaller sundials appeared, although they all had the same limitations at night or on very cloudy days.

The first hourglasses were built in about 1340BC, and consisted of a bowl with a hole in the bottom. Water dripped slowly through the hole as the day wore on, and a scale cut into the side of the bowl measured the time. They worked on cloudy days and at night - better than sundials - but they needed careful calibration to be accurate. The Greeks built the first alarm clock in 250BC. It was a water clock where the rising water kept time and eventually hit a mechanical bird that triggered a whistle!

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