Various Ways of Telling Time

By jodimacdonald
  • 3000 BCE

    Obelisk

    Obelisk
    Early Egyptians told time using the obelisk. An obelisk was a shadow clock and was a vertical structure with four sides. It was placed in the sun and the shadow cast showed the position of the sun throughout the day.
  • Period: 3000 BCE to

    Years

  • 300 BCE

    Sundial

    Sundial
    Babylonians began using a sundial. A sundial is a flat circle with a 12 hour clock face. A gnomon stood vertically in the middle of the sundial and cast a shadow on the correct hour as the sun's position changed.
  • 1000

    Hourglass

    Hourglass
    Used in Europe by the 11th century, this was one of the first "time pieces" or "time keepers" that could be used without the light of the sun.
  • 1300

    Mechanical Clock

    Mechanical Clock
    The first mechanical clocks appeared in Europe. These clocks used weights and balances to keep time and were quite large in order to hold the weights.
  • 1400

    Watches

    Watches
    The first watches were developed in Italy. These small, portable "time pieces" were worn on a belt or placed in someones pocket.

  • Pendulum Clock

    Pendulum Clock
    European scientists discovered that a pendulum could be added to a mechanical clock to increase a clocks accuracy to minutes and even seconds.

  • Greenwich Mean Time

    Greenwich Mean Time
    Standard time was used for greater accuracy. The earth was divided into 24 different time zones. The time zones reflect how long it takes each part of the earth to travel through the prime meridian, which is located in Greenwich, England.

  • Universal Time Coordinate

    Universal Time Coordinate
    This highly accurate system for telling time (which allows for slights variations in the rotation of the earth) is accepted around the world as the official measure of time for the planet.