THE HOURGLASS

Invented on 8th Century AD

Invented by a French monk called Liutprand

The sundial may be the best known ancient keeper of time, and it is still manufactured as
a popular garden accessory—but for its visual interest, not for practical time
measurement. Stonehenge, the giant monument built of upright stones on the Salisbury
Plain of Wiltshire, England, may have been used as a sundial and for other time and
calendar purposes. Sundials have obvious disadvantages; they can't be used indoors, at
night, or on cloudy days.

Four basic types could be used indoors and regardless of the weather or time of day.

The candle clock is a candle with lines drawn around it to mark units of time, usually
hours. By observing how much of the length of a candle burned in one hour, a candle
made of the same material was marked with lines showing one-hour intervals. An eight-
hour candle showed that four hours had passed when it had burned down beyond four
marks. The clock candle had the disadvantages that any changes in the wick or wax
would alter burning properties, and it was highly subject to drafts. The Chinese also
used a kind of candle clock with threads used to mark the time intervals. As the candle
burned, the threads with metal balls on their ends fell so those in the room could hear
the passage of the hours as the balls pinged on the tray holding the candle.

The oil lamp clock that was used through the eighteenth century was a variation and
improvement on the candle clock. The oil lamp clock had divisions marked on a metal
mount that encircled the glass reservoir containing the oil. As the level of oil fell in the
reservoir, the passage of time was read from the markings on the mount. Like the
candle clock, the oil lamp clock also provided light, but it was less prone to inaccuracies
in materials or those caused by drafty rooms.

Water clocks were also used to mark the passage of time by allowing water to drip from
one container into another. The marks of the sun's motion were made on the first
container, and, as water dripped out of it and into another basin, the drop in water level
showed the passage of the hours. The second container was not always used to collect
and recycle the water; some water clocks simply allowed the water to drip on the ground.
When the eight-hour water clock was empty, eight hours had passed. The water clock is
also known as the clepsydra.
 THE SPINNING WHEEL

Believed to be originated in India

Originated between 500 to 1,000 AD

A spinning wheel is a machine used to turn fiber into thread or yarn. This thread or yarn
is then woven as cloth on a loom. The spinning wheel's essential function is to combine
and twist fibers together to form thread or yarn and then gather the twisted thread on a
bobbin or stick so it may be used as yarn for the loom. The action is based on the
principle that if a bunch of textile fibers is held in one hand and a few fibers are pulled
out from the bunch, the few will break from the rest. However, if the few fibers are pulled
from the bunch and at the same time are twisted the few pulled out will begin to form a
thread. If the thread is let go it will immediately untwist, but if wound on a stick or bobbin
it will remain a thread that can be used for sewing or weaving.

Many different kinds of fibers can be spun on a simple spinning wheel, including wool
and hairs; bast fibers which come from below the surface of a plant stem including flax
(linen), hemp, jute, ramie, and nettle; and seed fibers, particularly cotton. Each of these
fibers vary tremendously in length of staple, quality and strength. Different fibers require
different kinds of pieces or bobbins placed on the spinning wheel and even call for
spinning wheels of different size or configuration in order to spin the specific fiber more
efficiently.