How Did Ancient Civilizations Track Time?

Imagine you're playing outside and the sun goes down, you know it's time to go home. That’s how some ancient people tracked time! They used the sun, the moon, and even stars to tell when a day, month, or year started. For example, they built sundials that showed the time of day by where the shadow fell.

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A child uses a sundial made from sticks to know when it's lunchtime.
  2. A farmer watches the moon’s shape to decide when to plant seeds.
  3. A tribe celebrates a festival every time the sun sets on the longest day of the year.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Recent activity

Nothing here yet.