History of timekeeping devices in Egypt
Long, long ago, in a place called Egypt, people didn't have clocks like we have today. They didn't have phones or computers either, so they had to figure out how to tell time in a different way.
At first, they used the sun to tell time. They noticed that when the sun came up it was morning, and when it went down it was night. They divided the day into 12 parts and used something called a sundial to measure the time. The sundial was like a big stick with lines on it that the sun would shine on, and they could see what time it was by looking at the shadows.
But as time went on, the Egyptians wanted to be more accurate with their timekeeping. They came up with something called a water clock. This was a container with water in it and a small hole at the bottom. When the water emptied out of the hole, they could see how much time had passed. They would put markings on the container so they could tell how much time had passed.
Later on, they came up with something called an obelisk. This was a big tall pillar with markings on it that would show what time of day it was. They also used something called a merkhet. This was like a long stick with a line on it, and they would use it to measure the position of the stars in the sky.
Eventually, they came up with a clock that looks a lot like the clocks we have today! It was called the water clock with moving hands. This clock had a dial with numbers on it and two hands that would move around to show what time it was. They would fill the clock with water, and as the water went down, a mechanism inside the clock would move the hands.
So you see, even though people didn't have fancy clocks like we do now, they still figured out clever ways to tell time a long, long time ago.
At first, they used the sun to tell time. They noticed that when the sun came up it was morning, and when it went down it was night. They divided the day into 12 parts and used something called a sundial to measure the time. The sundial was like a big stick with lines on it that the sun would shine on, and they could see what time it was by looking at the shadows.
But as time went on, the Egyptians wanted to be more accurate with their timekeeping. They came up with something called a water clock. This was a container with water in it and a small hole at the bottom. When the water emptied out of the hole, they could see how much time had passed. They would put markings on the container so they could tell how much time had passed.
Later on, they came up with something called an obelisk. This was a big tall pillar with markings on it that would show what time of day it was. They also used something called a merkhet. This was like a long stick with a line on it, and they would use it to measure the position of the stars in the sky.
Eventually, they came up with a clock that looks a lot like the clocks we have today! It was called the water clock with moving hands. This clock had a dial with numbers on it and two hands that would move around to show what time it was. They would fill the clock with water, and as the water went down, a mechanism inside the clock would move the hands.
So you see, even though people didn't have fancy clocks like we do now, they still figured out clever ways to tell time a long, long time ago.