Brief History Of The Water Clock
Water clocks along with sundials are the oldest time measuring instruments known to man. The clock uses a simple technique where time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into or out of the object where then the amount is measured.
The inventor of the water clock is unknown but they have appeared all over the world in different regions with the time of appearance spanning over various times. They have said to been seen in Babylon and Egypt around the 16th century BC. Ancient Egyptian water clocks were found in the tomb of Amenhotep I around the time of 1500 BC. The clocks have also said to been spotted in India and china as early as 4000 BC but some author’s do not agree with that.
The oldest clocks to have ever been recovered were during the reign of Amenhotep III around 1417-1379 BC and they were used in the at Karnak. However the oldest water clock documentation were the tomb inscription of the 16th century BC and Amenemhet the Egyptian court official identify him as the inventor. The model of these water clocks was simple; they were the outflow type, were stone vessels with sloping sides that allowed water to drip at a nearly constant rate from a small hole near the bottom. It consisted of twelve separate columns with gradual markings on the inside marking the hour marks. These clocks were mostly used during the nighttime by the priests to perform the rituals at the right time and were also used during the daylight but not as much.
