The Time Keeper

In The Time Keeper, Dor is credited with discovering every form of timekeeping that later civilizations will develop, beginning with the charting of shadows and leading to the construction of calendars and clocks. According to The National Institute of Standards and Technology, “in every culture, some people were preoccupied with measuring and recording the passage of time” (Higgins, K., et al. A Walk Through Time. National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2004).

Early civilizations used the charting of the celestial bodies—sun, moon, planets, and stars—to determine seasons, months, and years, creating the first calendar systems. The development of clocks, the charting of the hours of each day, is a more recent development. The first recorded clocks were constructed 5,000 to 6,000 years ago in civilizations in the Middle East and Northern Africa, particularly among the Sumerians and Egyptians. These early clocks charted the passage of the sun throughout the day by charting shadows. Among the earliest clocks that were not dependent on celestial bodies were water clocks, called clepsydras or “water stealers” by the Greeks. These clocks were containers that allowed water to drip at a near constant rate, marking minutes and hours. Weight-driven mechanical clocks began to appear in Europe during the 14th century, and the first pendulum clock was constructed in the 17th century. Pendulum clocks were far more accurate than earlier clocks, and the 17th century also saw the construction of the first pocket watches. Refinements to these designs led to the eventual development of quartz and atomic clocks during the 20th century.

At the end of the second chapter, Albom highlights how humanity has shifted away from more nature-based notions of time toward clock time, stating, “[m]an alone measures time” (8). Within Europe, more traditional nature-based forms of time telling coexisted with clock time until the early 19th century (Gerrit Verhoeven. “Clockwise? Timekeeping in London in the Long Eighteenth Century (1724-1825).” Cultural and Social History, vol. 17, no. 4, 2020, p. 452). The combination of shifting labor practices, such as the elimination of many traditional holidays and feast days, as well as the proliferation of timekeeping devices, such as watches and mantel clocks, led to a shift in the way time was viewed, first by those living in urban settings and then later in rural settings. This shift in the perception of time during the late 18th century can be seen in the paintings/engravings of British artist Hogarth, particularly his series entitled Four Times of Day, which depict specific moments of the day in 18th-century London and often include public clocks.