Daily life

Hours that changed length

Daily life · Roman Empire Daily
A Roman 'hour' wasn't fixed. Daylight was always split into 12 hours, so summer hours were longer than winter ones.

Deep dive

Romans used temporal (seasonal) hours: the period from sunrise to sunset was divided into 12 regardless of season. A daytime hour in midsummer could be roughly 75 minutes, and in midwinter closer to 45. Water clocks had to be adjusted through the year.

Source: Pliny the Elder, 'Natural History,' 7.212–215.

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