Abstract
Within the history of ancient science, astronomy holds a prominent place. This is at least in part due to the Mesopotamian achievement of developing methods to predict the movements of the planets. In addition, the construction of calendars, often based on celestial observations, was an important concern of ancient astronomers, as was the measurement of smaller units of time which is the focus of Down to the Hour: Short Time in the Ancient Mediterranean and Near East.
The volume originated from a panel of the Society for Classical Studies in 2016, followed by a conference in 2017. In addition to the revised papers presented at the latter conference, the volume also includes further chapters that were commissioned from other experts. After an introduction, the book comprises nine chapters covering material from 2000 BCE to the 6th century CE. The first two chapters look at various means of timekeeping in ancient Egypt. Chapter 3 presents an overview of Mesopotamian evidence for timekeeping. The remaining chapters 4–9 present material from the Greco-Roman periods. Each chapter ends with its individual bibliography. An index of four pages at the end combines keywords, locations, persons, and sources.
The introduction presents four collective aims of the individual chapters, namely assessing timekeeping methods and their technical and conceptual development, analyzing the local preference for certain timekeeping devices, describing the social and cultural framework of timekeeping, and establishing traces created by time-related activities. This is followed by a discussion of the methodological problems that emerged in studying short time in ancient cultures, like for example the distinction between time-indication and time-reckoning (or observational time versus calculated time), the exact definition of key moments in time keeping and their use in actual practice. The introduction ends with summaries of the individual chapters of the volume.
The two Egyptian contributions in this volume constitute a welcome change from the usual omission of Egyptian evidence in recent projects presenting evidence of various ancient cultures. Chapter 1 (Sarah L. Symons) presents evidence of astronomical timekeeping devices including a lucid discussion of the possibilities for interpreting the diagonal star tables (traditionally called diagonal star clocks) as time measuring devices. The researcher faces several questions about the concept of an hour, the answers to which influence the analysis of the diagonal star tables. The second chapter, by Alexandra von Lieven and Anette Schomberg, discusses the religious context of the use of water clocks in Egypt. This is followed (chapter 3 by John Steele) by the evidence for subdividing a day in smaller units and their measuring and uses in various contexts in Mesopotamia. The Greco-Roman part of the book begins with chapter 4, in which Alexander Jones looks at the possibility of using sundials to measure smaller units of time than hours. The focus of chapter 5 (Barbara M. Sattler) is the emergence of the hour in Greek philosophy. James Ker surveys diurnal time in Roman literature of the imperial period (chapter 6) and its moral implications drawn by Roman writers like Seneca. Chapter 7 (Anja Wolkenhauer) examines the concept of “short time” and how it was measured in ancient Rome. The final two chapters analyze the role of short time in astrology and medicine. Stephan Heilen (chapter 8) looks at the relation between accurate time-measurement and the astronomical accuracy required by astrologers. Kassandra Jackson Miller (chapter 9) explores the use of time measurement by the physician Galen in the context of the treatment of periodic fevers.
Each chapter is engagingly written, thus drawing its reader for a short time into the respective means, needs, and practices of time-keeping. Overall, Down to the hour is a valuable addition to the history of astronomy, introducing and discussing evidence for time keeping in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean. It will be useful for readers interested in an individual area and period, but even more so for those who would like to get a comparative overview of time-keeping in various parts of antiquity.