answersLogoWhite

0

Before precision machine parts could be made for clocks, people generally relied on the passage of the Sun through the sky to tell time. Among the most important early devices for telling time were the Egyptian shadow clock, the Greek hemispherium, and the Islamic (modern) sundial. Click on these devices in the illustration to see animations of how the Sun's orientation in the sky was used to mark the daylight hours.

Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

After the Sumerian culture was lost without passing on its knowledge, the Egyptians were the next to formally divide their day into parts something like our hours. Obelisks (slender, tapering, four-sided monuments) were built as early as 3500 B.C. Their moving shadows formed a kind of sundial, enabling citizens to partition the day into two parts by indicating noon. They also showed the year's longest and shortest days when the shadow at noon was the shortest or longest of the year. Later, markers added around the base of the monument would indicate further time subdivisions.

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

When was the shadow clock invented?

It is believed that the shadow clock was originally made around 1500 B.C. It was the first predecessor of the clock that measured hours, although they were different numbers than those on modern clocks.


What is that thing on a shadow clock?

The `Gnomon` is the part of the shadow clock, or sun dial, that casts a shadow onto the face from the sun, so that the time can be read.


Who invented the death clock?

Professor Farnsworth invented the death clock


When shadow clock was made?

1500 b.c


What type of clock was invented with no moving parts?

the clock that was invented with no moving parts is a sundial


Who invented the primitive clock?

The primitive clock was invented by Henry de Wick in 1368.


What is the oldest type of clock?

The oldest type of clock is the sundial, which dates back to ancient times. These clocks used the sun's position to indicate the time of day through the shadow cast by a marker on a dial. Sundials were widely used before mechanical clocks were invented.


What is the common name of the timekeeping device sometimes known as a shadow clock?

The common name for the timekeeping device sometimes known as a shadow clock is a sundial.


What is the name of the clock that shows time by shadow?

Sundial


Is their a picture of the first clock?

No. The first "Clock" would make a shadow from the sun to show what time it was.


Who invented the grandfather clock?

The grandfather clock was invented by William Clement in the 1670s. He is credited with creating the first longcase clock that became known as the grandfather clock.


Who invented wall clock?

Peter Heinlein from Germany in 1510 invented the first wall clock in the world.