Ancient civilisations were a marvel on their own! While one may have read about their genius in history books or even seen them as popular tourist spots, very few have delved deeper into the understanding of their genius ways. From measuring time to water levels for flood alert, they did them all- and proudly without artificial intelligence or virtual reality. All they need was proper knowledge of nature, stars, and time. This article looks into five interesting modes of measurement used by ancient civilisations, which are discontinued today, but still finds a seating in sculptures, or ancient monuments and museums.
Simple instruments, futuristic thinking, co-existence with nature and reading them naturally, were the basic principles on which rested the usage of these measuring scales. From the Egyptians, to Romans, from the Greeks to even Indians, here’s what may been buried under time in terms of usage and modern development.
As the name suggests, this was heavily used in ancient Egypt to measure the waters of the Nile. Since the civilization was built around the river, it was important to track its behaviour to harness it to the fullest. Like the water was used for irrigation, the water level was also measured for safety precautions, storage and flood alerts- in the desert. The Nilometer was designed in three ways. The first and the most simple was near the river bank where vertical structures had horizontal marks. As the water drifted inwards, these marks used to submerge giving people a sense of water –level rise. A second one, similar to the Baolis found in Rajasthan was a stairway column leading down to the Nile. If the stairways were heavily underwater, there was reason to worry about. The third design was a deep well, which acted as a measuring system. Even today, around certain places along the river, half destroyed, submerged, remnants of these vertical column Nilometer can be seen.
If you are outdoors on a sunny morning, have you noticed how with time the position of your shadow shifts? While this may seem very amusing today, it was the foundation of a sundial, the ancient instrument used to measure time. In several archaeological sites, temple complexes, community spaces, sundials, especially large ones still exist. Popular in Egypt, Greece and Rome, sundials are also part of Jantar Mantar New Delhi and Varanasi in India.
In the absence of a modern measuring tape, ancient Egyptians often relied on a cubit rod. This was the standard measurement of length with the forearm being the starting point. Cubit rods, with time started being embellished with scriptures, hieroglyphics, and royal symbols, especially if they belonged to the royal households. In fact, many cubit rods have been discovered in tombs and are now displayed in the Museum.
Astronomy was not always measuring birth charts and predicting future. Apart from that, it was also a crucial part of navigation, which was important for trade relations. Ancient Greece, which is known for its trade relations with several countries, used the Astrolabe to measure the position of stars and planets. This guided them during navigation and change in time zones. Think of a modern compass with ancient markings and constructs, that’s an astrolabe for you.
If you visit old Roman villages, you might see a strange sight, even today. Long pointed rods with a mechanism on top! That is a groma, an ancient form of measuring straight lines and right angles. You can draw a parallel with modern day divider and compass used in geometry. This instrument was used to survey the land before building houses and roads.
While most of these instruments are not in use today or their developed counterparts are being used, one cannot not give them credit for shaping the world as we see it today. Many of these are seen displayed in museums and some can be spotted on the grounds, where it once belonged, civilizations ago.
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