Gillian Adler and Paul Strohm explore the complex methods of timekeeping in the medieval period – from burning candles and sundials, to water clocks and the astrolabe
It would be easy to assume that before the invention of the modern clock, people didn’t have a very sophisticated sense of time – they rose with the sun, and went to bed when it got dark. But, according to Gillian Adler and Paul Strohm, medieval society’s timekeeping was, in fact, far more complex. Speaking with Emily Briffett, they delve into medieval ideas about time, from human life cycles to the ages (and end) of the world.
Gillian Adler and Paul Strohm are the authors of Alle Thyng Hath Tyme: Time and Medieval Life (Reaktion, 2023)