How Did Ancient People Tell Time Without a Clock?

Imagine you're outside in the middle of the day. You look at a stick and see its shadow. That's like an ancient clock! They used sundials, simple tools that showed time based on where the sun was. At night, they watched the stars or counted the moon phases to know how many days had passed.

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Examples

A farmer checks a sundial in his field and knows it's time for lunch.
Shadow clocks help people know when to start their daily work.
At night, people watch the moon and count how many days have passed.

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Categories: History · timekeeping,ancient history,sundials