How They Did It - Telling Time in Ancient Rome 

I have to say, this has been one of my favorite episodes to research and produce. Its all these little things about the past which fascinate me and which we today take for granted. What sorts of other aspects of daily life you like me to explore next? Also, if you'd like to support these videos please consider checking out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/InvictaHistory. Thanks

"AT THE END OF THE DAY, such sun-based systems suffered from one fatal flaw" - I see what you did there =)

Sorry I'm late, my dog drank my clock.

8:31 "The past is full of clever people" Intelligence wise they are exactly the same as us, we just happen to be sitting on the combined works of thousands of geniouses.

I can tell the time by the sun pretty well, when I was a kid in the 80's and 90's I always broke watches falling off my skateboard so I didn't really wear them so I learned to tell the time by the sun so I didn't come home late and get my ass kicked. Loved the water clocks btw, very cool, very clever.

Perhaps you could have a mini series of how time was measured, and call it something like "Time En Memorium" or something like that

I never thought the Romans had devices as complex as that water clock, amazing!

Nobody: Invicta: Just how the hell did the Romans tell the time?!

I really loved the time stretching visual, that was great! Great job on this one!

And I have to say, this is one of the best vids you ever made. Thank You Invicta.

Invicta, thank you man ! These particular videos of yours are so unique and handily even I can comprehend due to the clean and engaging visuals. You've done anyone with an interest in Roman life a real service - there are many videos from many channels that cover battles, emperors and eras, but what you've done is create a marvelous window into fascinating aspects of the lives these people lead and how they went about it. Again, thank you man, for all your hard work and dedication to quality !

that clock animation was amazing. really cool video keep it up !

One of your best videos so far. I LOVE the 'how they did it" seires. cheers!

I love this, there is so little coverage out there on small but important topics and technologies like those you covered here. I for one would enjoy further exploration on the topic of time and timekeeping. Thanks and keep it up, you are awesome!

I just found your videos 3 weeks ago (stylishly late to the ancient party) and am hooked! I LOVE history, and all of its facets. Thank you!

These are my favorite kinds of videos, thank you so much for your hard work 🧡

This is a fascinating subject and I hope you will do more. I like the "How They Did It " series as it shows the practical everyday life of the ancients. Thanks for sharing this.

This is so fascinating. Thank you

That is amazing that they’re able to come up with these!

Great topic well explained, love this style of vid keep up the good work man

Please keep up with Ancient Rome! It's so fascinating.

This was far more fascinating than I thought it would be. Thank you!

Nice Richard Carrier plug. I loved his books on ancient science and scientist. Just discovered the channel, and I'm really enjoying it. Keep up the good work.

This is amazing. Like really dude, great vid, great subject, great editing, great drawings. You really mastered your craft over the years !

A great video, a must watch!

Very interesting, nice video yet again, as a history lover I love these!

Very interesting, thank you. Oh, and thank you for maintaining a wonderful channel.

'Sundials don't work at night or indoors' ... Aren't you forgetting Britannia, sundials aren't great here either.

Can you make a video on how ancient people payed rent/ found housing? I know there’s not much on the topic. I heard ancient people who were traveling didn’t have hotels to stay at and so had to stay in the homes of strangers!

Another incredible video. Thanks!

Great episode. The water clocks are so cool

Really interesting video. Would love one on the topic of the roman calendar as well!

thanks for another great video!

Love your videos and the animations. You just gained a subscriber.

This is an awesome subject! Thanks for uploading! They did such genius shit and most of us all have no idea as to what that was

As always, great video

Sponsored by Imper- oh wait 😅

amazing content. thank you!

I love the illustration artwork. Particularly the people.

This is such a good video

This is such a cool video. Thank you

this was really helful with my school work. thanks! :)

"The past was full of clever people." It certainly was :)

I would really love it if you made more content about the everyday, like telling time, growing up or owning dogs. That's my favorite content.

great video!

I have 2 thousand years of head start on these people and I would have never figured out inventing those complex water clocks.

Thank you

Great video ;)

Sometimes I look up and I can tell the time with some astonishing precision.

I'm 19 years old and when I read the title of this I became a 75 year old substitute elementary school teacher in terms of unreasonable excitement

How the hell did you do that amazing clock stretching and compressing effect?!

Great video! You sound a lot better in this video!

You described some of the more complicated ways of telling time at night but the easiest and most common way was to use two sticks and a star.Most people get the wrong idea about the bible verse in PS 23.where David talks about going though the valley of the shadow of death (aka nighttime) using a rod and a staff for comfort (aka knowing what time it was and how long until dawn).

Very cool

Awesome video

Its great that You keep those in video ads short and at the end, not like greedy kings and generals. :)

Assuming you know your latitude and which way is north, you can make an equatorial ring sundial with your hands that is pretty accurate (I'm usually within 10 minutes of actual time). It's pretty cool!

Invicta, when are you going to make "Total War History: The Second Punic War" like how you covered the first punic war?

Do more "What it was like growing up X" videos, those rock

As a hourologist and chronologist, this is absolutely fascinating.

You would need to keep water clocks clean.. Build up of crud on the inside of the outlet would over time reduce the flow of water ..

Do one about how the told time in the early middle ages please

I was fascinated by ancient water clocks as a child 40+ years ago. I often wonder how those whom have no 'ancient knowledge' would survive if an EMP event ever occured. I experimented widely with ancient techniques when I was growing up. there were even water clocks on ships in the mediterranean to make velocity calculations in conjunction with knots when commerce made it become necessary to know just how long a given traverse takes. lettuces, for example, were shiped from Nicea in Provence, France, to other ports along the coast, a highly perishable stock. water clocks would also be used for long journies. with a compass and good charts one can sail in a certain direction for a number of hours to put oneself on a course for a particular current of wind and water for specific destinations in best time. invaluable in business in the ancient Mediterranean world, and advantageous militarilly speaking.

Wow!

@invicta what is the horn soundfx at the beginning of all your videos? It’s amazing

These " how they did it " episodes are the best

Do a video about the history of the Roman calendar.

I'm certain it gets wilder from here, because I'm aware of the spice clocks and flower clocks of the 1800s, and how each city had its own "local time."

If you want to know more about this subject you should check historical chronology literature.

Honestly, you could do an entire series on the use of hydraulics by the Ancient Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Chinese, and Arabs.

Your voice quality is wonderful. Diction & clarity could use a bit of buffing.

I am truly awestruck at how far we've come as a species, we really do live in a New Age

2:59 - happens to be the mountain profile of devil peak, table mountain and lions head in Cape Town, South Africa, just fyi

nice

I spent several years living in the wilderness in British Columbia. I don't talk about it much because few have the frame of reference to understand what I am saying but this video revived many interesting thoughts I had over those years. Yes the technology is cool however we all have a latent ability to tell time with enough accuracy to navigate a simple life. I always knew where the sun would set, when the next high tide would be and how high it would be as well as the phase of the moon. I would go months without seeing other humans but I always knew what time it was +/- an hour or so. Now that I live in front of a screen I never know any of the above. Because we have access to google we do not have to memorize things in the same way but remove google and our latent ability to memorize things will return.

I love and hate you right now. I needed this information 2 days ago. You would have saved me hours of research. Thank you nonetheless. You were able to clear up some discrepancies for me.

Great upload! +1 Sub

03:08 is that Table Mountain in the background as a the sketch?

Do you have a list of recommended audible books?

No mention of sand timers... when did they become a thing? By the way, you mentioned the Western system of hours - but I once read some Asian countries has a different set of systems. Could you tell us anything about that?

What about there love or(sex) life. Dating cheating. Did soldiers have picturse/drawing of there girlfriends

PLEASE tell me what happened when the bucket with the floating hour indicator filled to the top! I've watched maybe 10 videos about this. NO ONE mentions that

4:10 "at the end of the day" badum tish

Thank you very much What happened to Roman candles? You know look like a barber shop pole except for black and white diagonal stripes?

"Our ancestors from around the world"... So true, so simple, and yet, sometimes clouded by nationalism and minor physiological differences.

I know this is a vague question, but anyone know of any good books to start reading if i"m looking to get more into ancient history? Favorites or recommendations would be awesome!

Would the time telling cup be a pythagorean cup so that every time it filled up (made it to the 24th hour) it would reset the clock?

I was JUST looking up this VERY subject recently, I was wondering how they could tell years were around 365 days ect.

Lit

Humans are incredible

Hi, Invicta! Can you tell me what the background music in this video is? :)

A well done video, thank you! One comment though, diei is pronouced [dee-EH-ee], not [DEE-eh]. Good luck in your studies!

Most historians / historians of science: we can use a clock to keep times of appointments, set rates of pay, cook food reliably etc. Invicta: with a working clock can charge by the hour for sex in our numerous brothels.

"People were aware of the day-night cycle" OH, I THOUGHT THEY HAD THOUGHT THEY WENT BLIND!

Please make a video on how ancient Romans shaved, That would be awesome.

'Decima' would sound like 'detsima', not 'dekima', if to go by the words that are used in music as well (interval names)

Invicta, with all due respect, when are we going to see the Siege of Jerusalem series ending?

You're telling me brothels already charged by the hour back then!

Sun straight above you is 12 noon, go from there in 1 hour intervals is very easy by looking at the position of the sun adjustable for winter time.

7:45 wait how was water added in to the In Flow Pipe?