Guardian of time flow : baboon on the water clock during the Greco-Roman period

Abstract EN

As the development of the water clock, Egypt had both the idea and the circumstances in place before anyone thought to use a clock to tell time.

Additionally, a basic necessity was met by the invention and development of the water clock.

This timekeeping device offers a useful "window" onto the baboon, which served as the ancient Egyptians' representation of the god Thoth, the defender and patron of time.

Baboons were extensively researched, probably because they represented a special blend of characteristics that were both comparable to and different from those of humans.

The baboon exhibited traits that upheld the Egyptian religion's values of decency, respect for the dead, and worship of the gods.

The fact that, since then, our understanding of the baboon animal has substantially increased justifies reopening the discussion of the Egyptian water clocks.

The baboon, which stands in the center of many astronomical scenes and is the spectral point on every water clock from the Greco-Roman period, represents accuracy, stability, and calm of the astronomical system.

This article serves as a direct analogue for the water clock's baboon.

The baboon's appearance on outflow water clocks, which date from the New Kingdom to the Greco-Roman Period, inflow water clocks, and similarly the models of inflow clocks, as well as in astronomical scenes, explains his significance and function as a time reckoner.