Hourglass

History

The actual date of the hourglass's emergence cannot be definitely placed. There are, however, many theories as to when the hourglass emerged as a common timekeeping instrument. The most significant clues to the invention of the hourglass deal with the dates of portrayals and the emergence of the technology needed to create the glass to make the reservoirs. No record exists of the sandglass's original form, so researchers have to work with the modern hourglass shape. Items were made from glass as far back as 2500 BCE, but the art of glass-blowing was not perfected until around 70 BCE.

The earliest definite depiction of an hourglass dates to between 1337 and 1339 CE. This depiction can be found in an Italian fresco on the walls of Palazzo Pubblico in Siena and was painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Another early depiction of an hourglass can be found at the Mattei Palace in Rome. The palace contains a Greek bas-relief depicting Morpheus, the god of time, holding an hourglass. German artist Albrecht Drer (1471–1528) profiles the hourglass prominendy in many of his artistic works. The sandglass holds a prominent place in all three of his most famous copper engravings. Knight, Death, and the Devil (1513), Si. Jerome in His Study (1514), and Melancholia I (1514) depict the hourglass just to the left of the central character. The first textual reference can be found in the Receipt of Thomas de Statesham, which dates to around 1345. This receipt references Thomas's acquisition of 12 hourglasses (“pro xii orologiis vit-reis”) in Flanders. The second textual reference dates to slighdy after this, in 1380, and can be found in a furniture inventory of King Charles V of France: “ung grant orloge de mer, de deux, grans fiolles plains de sablon en ung grant estuy de boys garny d'archal” (a large sea clock with two large phials filled with sand, in a large wooden brass-bound case). The hourglass also finds reference in classical literature, specifically in the works of William Shakespeare. Specifically, Henry V (Act 1 Scene I) refers to an hourglass in the opening Chorus.

One theory credits the invention of the hourglass to an 8th-century monk of Chartres named Luitprand, but most historians believe that if there is any truth to this theory it would find credence as a reinvention or an improvement on the ancient sandglass after the Dark Ages. Many historians believe the hourglass came into use about the same time as, or slightly after, the clepsydra (water clock). Since both timekeepers use the same basic principle, emergence during the same approximate time period could be likely. For a long time no distinctions were made between the two, and they were simply called horlogues, leaving only context to determine which of the two was being described. This theory places the invention of the hourglass at [Page 678]around the 3rd century BCE in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. The sand for the hourglass would have been more accessible in regions with drier climates. In countries such as Egypt, water would have been scarce and not a resource that could be needlessly wasted. The more probable date of emergence coincides with the inception of sea travel, as the technology would aid in nautical navigation.

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