Time’s Pioneers: The Invention and Evolution of Water Clocks

In ancient times, water clocks were widely used to tell time. These devices consisted of containers with lines and small drainage holes. Sundials were also commonly used, but they had limitations as they only worked when there was sunlight and could not maintain continuous divisions of time. To compensate for these shortcomings, water clocks were invented, which came in two types: outflow and inflow.

Outflow water clocks had measuring lines inside the container and worked by filling the tank with water that leaked out at a steady rate. Inflow water clocks operated on the same principle but had measuring lines in a second container. The oldest known water clock dates back to around 1417 – 1379 BC during the reign of pharaoh Amenhotep III in Egypt, where it was found broken into pieces at the temple of Amen-Re in Karnak. This water clock was made of plaster and had drawn columns and lines to symbolize the hours of the night.

Despite their advantages, water clocks had their disadvantages such as requiring constant water pressure and regular calibration due to changing day lengths with the seasons. Ancient people utilized various methods to solve these problems, such as utilizing a disc with different-sized holes to regulate water flow. Nonetheless, water clocks represented an important development in time-telling technology before the invention of electronic devices. Compared to today’s ease of timekeeping, ancient water clocks required careful maintenance and calibration.