Learnings: Telling Time

A diagram showing how to do finger counting / 11th-12th cent.

According to the Venerable Bede, the Latin word for time, tempus, came from the verb temperamentum: "measure". The origins of the word suggest that time and measurement are closely linked, and that time was measureable in the Middle Ages.

The reasons for measuring time back then are not the same as society's reasons today. Hours and minutes were not used to calculate how much time was needed to accomplish a task. The schedule of the day was mostly determined by the course of the sun in the sky.

However, measuring time was very important when it came to religious holidays. Medieval scholars would rack their brains trying to calculate when to celebrate Easter. Determining the date of such a holy day was a very complex process and required a meticulous understanding of time measurements and arithmetic.

How did they make mathematical and astronomical calculations without a calculator? By counting up to 9999 on one's fingers, as illustrated in this manuscript.