Back to: The Cycle of Time in Ancient Kemet: Exploring the Teben Symbol

This class provides a discussion on the astronomical origins of basic time measurements (year, month, day) and then focuses on the development of early timekeeping devices, particularly in ancient Kemet.

Key aspects of this class include

:• Astronomical Definitions of Time: This class explains how the year is linked to the solstices, the month to the lunar phases, and the day to sunrise and sunset.

• Early Sundials: This class introduces the sloping sundial as a “first portable clock” and mentions the later development of flat and semi-circular sundials, suggesting that “foreigners” were shown how to use the latter.

• Kemetian Water Clocks: It details the water clocks of ancient Kemet, dating back to at least 1500 BCE, which used dripping water and notches to measure time. These clocks sometimes featured inscriptions related to months and rising stars.

• Origin of the 24-Hour Cycle: This class asserts that the Kemetians originated the concept of dividing the day and night into 12 sections each, leading to the 24-hour cycle. These “hours” were noted to vary in length depending on the season.

• Kemetian Star Clocks: The audio briefly mentions diagonal star clocks in coffin lids and star charts in royal tombs as other methods used in Kemet for tracking time.