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Technology ArticleEarly Clocks and Collectible Clocks In 797 (or possibly 801), the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad, Harun al-Rashid, presented Charlemagne with an Asian Elephant named Abul-Abbas together with a mechanical clock, out of which came a mechanical bird to announce the hours. This indicates that the early mechanical clocks were probably made in Asia. None of the first clocks survive from 13th century Europe, but various mentions in church records reveal some of the early history of the clock. Medieval religious institutions required clocks to measure and indicate the passing of time because, for many centuries, daily prayer and work schedules had to be strictly regulated. This was done by various types of time-telling and recording devices, such as water clocks, sundials and marked candles, probably used in combination. Important times and durations were broadcast by bells, rung either by hand or by some mechanical device such as a falling weight or rotating beater. The word horologia (from the Greek hour, and to tell) was used to describe all these devices, but the use of this word (still used in several romance languages) for all timekeepers conceals from us the true nature of the mechanisms. For example, there is a record that in 1176 Sens Cathedral installed a ‘horologe’ but the mechanism used is unknown. In 1198, during a fire at the abbey of St Edmundsbury (now Bury St Edmunds), the monks 'ran to the clock' to fetch water, indicating that their water clock had a reservoir large enough to help extinguish the occasional fire. These early clocks may not have used hands or dials, but “told” the time with audible signals. We have found some great deals on collectible clocks at collectibles.la Wikipedia Disclaimer Above information is from wikipedia and is freely distributed under the GNU license Also See: All Articles |