Time in Middle-earth

[William Cloud Hicklin]

When mechanical clocks were first introduced in the West in the 14th century (in monasteries, to ring the bells of the canonical hours-- faces and hands came later), they caused no end of confusion because they could only tell hours of a fixed length- which didn't work at all with Roman and early medieval practice of dividing the solar day into hours whose length varied with the seasons. Prime came at dawn and vespers at sundown, and the length of the hours in between were much longer in summer than in winter. Sundials didn't have this problem.

(NB: The Gospels, written in the 1st C. AD, reference the sixth and ninth hours (noon and midafternoon).

[Faramir Jones]

According to Tolkien's illustration of the Hall of Bag-End that he drew for The Hobbit, on the right (from the viewer's perspective) wall there appears to be a pendulum clock.



If that's the case, it shows how 'advanced' the hobbits were; because such a clock was invented by Dutch scientist and inventor Christiaan Huygens in 1656, and patented the following year. This invention, according to one book, meant that the accuracy of clocks could be improved to about 10 seconds per 24 hours:

https://books.google.ie/books?id=1jw...istory&f=false

There's also the issue of what looks like a barometer, on the wall to the left of the open door...

[Morthoron]

Faramir, there's a second clock to the left of the door in that illustration. Interestingly, one clock is an hour off from the other. Perhaps to reduce the time from breakfast, brunch and elevensies.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

I think Faramir is correct; that isn't a clock but a barometer beside the door.

[Faramir Jones]

Thanks for the comments about my last reply, and for the photo you posted, William!

The barometer depicted by Tolkien appears to be an aneroid one, meaning it uses a non-liquid way of measuring air pressure. A metallic cell or capsule, from which the air has been removed, expands or contracts depending on the air pressure. It is a nineteenth century invention, by a French scientist called Lucien Vidi, in 1844. Since late in that century, barometers, along with wind observations, have been used to make short-term weather forecasts.

Despite all this sophistication, we don't see hobbit meteorologists around Middle-earth in the late Third Age...

[William Cloud Hicklin]

I don't suppose Tolkien was much of a techie, certainly not the sort who would be aware of the difference and relative dates of aneroid and mercury barometers. I think, at least at the time of the illustration, he viewed Mr B Baggins Esq as enjoying the material lifestyle of an English country gentleman of, say, William and Mary's time. Such a man would very likely have had clocks on the wall and the mantle, and a barometer beside the door to check the weather before going out; I doubt T realized that the one depicted was 'anachronistic.'

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

I think, at least at the time of the illustration, he viewed Mr B Baggins Esq as enjoying the material lifestyle of an English country gentleman of, say, William and Mary's time. Such a man would very likely have had clocks on the wall and the mantle, and a barometer beside the door to check the weather before going out; I doubt T realized that the one depicted was 'anachronistic.'

I agree, and think this is very important. The Shire is not purely Middle-earth material, it's a mix of Middle-earth and England, and certain elements can only be integrated into the rest of Middle-earth so much.

But it is still interesting to explain clocks and barometers in the Shire bypassing that argument, even though it's most likely the truest. Can we explain them purely in Middle-earth terms? The hypothesis of a dwarven invention was already addressed. I doubt many hobbits would invite Dwarven constructions into their daily lives with open arms - maybe toys, but not things that quite literally dictate your life. Perhaps Bilbo was unique in having a clock and barometer in his house, given his friendship and fascination with Dwarves. Or, if clocks were a common thing among hobbits, I wonder if they themselves made them. Is it possible to make a clock like that with mostly wooden pieces? Springs must be metal, but can the rest be wood? I don't think hobbits were that much into metal shaping to make gears and such, but I can see them tinkering around with wood as a hobby or something.