WCO 9 Ephesus
Identification
| ID in this catalogue | WCO 9 |
| Type | Outflow water clock |
| Current Location | Ephesus Archaeological Museum, Selçuk |
| Catalogue Numbers | Unknown |
| Provenance | Ephesus (Tetragonos Agora area) |
| Date | Possibly from the reign of Ptolemy II, c. 250 BCE |
| Dimensions | Height 19.2 cm; width 35.7 cm |
| Material | Basalt |
|
Condition |
One fragment only |
| Publications | Langmann et al. (1984) |
Content
| External registers | Probably one |
| External upper band of text | Unknown |
| External lower band(s) of text | Two |
| Exterior Astronomical Diagram | Probably not |
| Rim | Unknown |
| Interior markings | Three partial month scales, with ankh, djed, and was-sceptre decoration |
| Other features |
Notes
See also the entry in: Schomberg, A., Berlin Waterclock Project, ID 19 Ephesos, 2019, Edition Topoi, DOI: 10.17171/2-10-11
Images
WCI 1 Egyptian Museum, Cairo TR 2.12.26.16 ("Edfu Inflow Water Clock")
Identification
| ID in this catalogue | WCI 1 |
| Type | Inflow water clock |
| Current Location | Egyptian Museum, Cairo |
| Catalogue Numbers | TR 2.12.26.16 |
| Provenance | Edfu |
| Date | 100 CE (per Borchardt) |
| Dimensions | Roughly 30 cm diameter and 40 cm tall, although internal measurements are much smaller (about 17 cm diameter by 32 cm deep) |
| Material | Stone of some type |
|
Condition |
Almost complete |
| Publications | Daressy (1915); Borchardt (1920); Sloley (1924, 1931); Cotterell, Dickson & Kamminga (1989); Clagett (1995) |
Content
| External Registers | None |
| External Upper band of text | None |
| External Lower band(s) of text | None |
| Exterior Astronomical Diagram | None |
| Rim | |
| Interior markings | Very similar to outflow water clocks: twelve vertical lines for the months, joined by lines which increase in inclination nearer the bottom of the vessel. |
| Other Features | Exterior baboon sitting on top of an outflow or emptying spout. |
Notes
This is the only "full sized" inflow water clock know from ancient Egypt, although several small votive offerings could represent inflow clocks. The scales on the interior are, suprisingly, the same way up as outflow clocks where one would expect the inverse - water flows in to a common starting level for each month scale. Instead, the starting level varies from month to month, requiring a quantity of water to be added to the vessel before timekeeping could start. This may indicate that this vessel was not a functional clock.
Images
See Borchardt or Clagett for photos and drawings.
WCO 10 Ptolemy II A
Identification
| ID in this catalogue | WCO 10 |
| Type | Outflow water clock |
| Current Location |
Fragment a) The Louvre Museum
Fragment b) Thorvaldsens Museum
|
| Catalogue Numbers |
Fragment a) Louvre N664
Fragment b) Thorvaldsens H351
|
| Provenance | Unknown |
| Date | Ptolemaic Period, 285 - 246 BCE |
| Dimensions |
Fragment a) Height 9.60 cm; width 10.10 cm
Fragment b) Height 17.9 cm; width 10.6 cm
|
| Material | Granodiorite |
| Condition | Fragmented: two fragments are located in France and Denmark. |
| Publications | Borchardt (1920); Danneskiold-Samsøe (1975); Neugebauer and Parker (1969) |
Content
| External registers | Probably three |
| External upper band of text | No |
| External lower band(s) of text | Unknown |
| Exterior Astronomical Diagram | On the 10a) fragment, the upper body of Orion and part of the decan list is preserved. On the 10b) fragment, we find a planet and part of the circumpolar attendant deities. |
| Rim | Abbreviated month names |
| Interior markings | Fill line and three dots going down the length of the waterclock |
| Other features |
Notes
See also the entries in:
Schomberg, A., Berlin Waterclock Project, ID 31 Louvre 644, 2019, Edition Topoi, DOI: 10.17171/2-10-25 [Fragment a] (Berlin cast of this object is ID 6.)
Schomberg, A., Berlin Waterclock Project, ID 32 Thorvaldsen 351, 2019, Edition Topoi, DOI: 10.17171/2-10-26 [Fragment b]
Images
a) Louvre Museum photos: https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010028348
b) Photo (CC0 License) from Thorvaldsens Museum:
WCO 11 Ptolemy II B (Barracco MB 27)
Identification
| ID in this catalogue | WCO 11 |
| Type | Outflow water clock |
| Current Location | Museo Barracco, Rome |
| Catalogue Numbers | Inv/MB 27 |
| Provenance | Found in Rome in the Campus Martius area (Temple of Isis) |
| Date | Ptolemaic Period |
| Dimensions |
Height 36.4 cm; diameter 27.8 cm |
| Material | Granodiorite |
| Condition | Fragmentary but reconstructed from seven pieces to form the base and almost full-height part of the side wall. |
| Publications | Matz (1881); Wiedemann (1901) ; Borchardt (1920); Roullet (1972) ; Dorner (1985); Mengoli (1986); Lembke (1994); Whitehouse and Baines (2005) |
Content
| External registers | One |
| External upper band of text | Two |
| External lower band(s) of text | One |
| Exterior Astronomical Diagram | No |
| Rim | Unknown |
| Interior markings | Yes, columns of dots with no symbols underneath |
| Other features |
Notes
See also the entry in: Schomberg, A., Berlin Waterclock Project, ID 30 Barracco, 2019, Edition Topoi, DOI: 10.17171/2-10-24 (Berlin cast of this object is ID 7.)
Images
Barracco Museum: http://www.museobarracco.it/en/percorsi/percorsi_per_sale/piano_primo/sala_ii_arte_egizia_e_mesopotamica/clessidra_ad_acqua