L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano ing both linguistic expres- sions but also religious ritu- a l s a n d t r a d i t i o n s . F o r example, the term siesta in Spanish derives from the Latin expression hora sexta, which referred to the sixth hour counted from sunrise, c o r r e s p o n d i n g a p p r o x i - mately to midday. During this time, Romans woul d typically pause their activi- ties for a period of rest or relaxation, influenced by the heat of the day and the cul- tural practice of taking a midday break. The tradition of a midday rest gradually e v o l v e d i n t o the siesta observed in many Spanish-speaking countries today. R o m a n t i m e k e e p i n g influenced also the develop- m e n t o f t h e c a n o n i c a l h o u r s i n t h e C a t h o l i c Church. These designated times for prayer and wor- ship, established by monas- tic communities in the early Christian era, were based on the Roman division of the d a y i n t o f i x e d i n t e r v a l s : each canonical hour corre- sponded to specific times of the day or night, allowing monks and clergy to engage i n c o m m u n a l p r a y e r a n d spiritual reflection through- out the day. T h e c a n o n i c a l h o u r s , flow of water from one con- tainer to another. It consist- e d o f a r e c e p t a c l e w i t h a small hole at the bottom, allowing water to drip at a constant rate into another o n e b e l o w ; m a r k i n g s o r divisions on the container i n d i c a t e d t h e p a s s a g e o f time based on the level of water accumulated. Its pri- mary purpose was to divide t h e d a y a n d n i g h t into equal hours, regard- less of the changing length of daylight so that a more uniform and standardized way of keeping track of time could be used. However, clepsydras still relied on sundials for cali- b r a t i o n a n d a d j u s t m e n t , w h i c h m e a n s t h i s o l d e r form of keeping time never went fully "out of fashion." Roman timekeeping had a significant impact on culture and religion, leaving a lasting legacy that contin- u e s t o i n f l u e n c e m o d e r n p r a c t i c e s . O n e n o t a b l e impact is evident in the tim- ing of prayers and the desig- n a t i o n o f h o u r s , w h i c h p l a y e d a c r u c i a l r o l e i n Roman daily life and soci- etal rhythms: the concept of dividing the day into specif- ic intervals for prayer and other activities has persisted through the centuries, shap- i n c l u d i n g M a t i n s , L a u d s , Prime, Terce, Sext, None, V e s p e r s , a n d C o m p l i n e , became integral to the litur- g i c a l c a l e n d a r a n d t h e r h y t h m o f m o n a s t i c l i f e , s h a p i n g t h e s t r u c t u r e o f daily worship services and the observance of religious festivals. This tradition con- t i n u e s t o b e p r a c t i c e d i n v a r i o u s f o r m s w i t h i n t h e Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, which shows how, in some contexts, we still rely on the old timekeeping ways of the Romans! The implementation of daylight saving time is, cer- tainly, the result of our con- temporary efforts to opti- m i z e p r o d u c t i v i t y a n d leisure, but it's worth noting the ingenuity of ancient civ- ilizations like the Romans in their approach to timekeep- ing. Their methods not only served practical purposes but also left lasting legacies that continue to influence modern practices and tradi- tions. So, as we adjust our clocks to accommodate sea- s o n a l c h a n g e s , l e t ' s a l s o appreciate the timeless wis- d o m o f t h o s e w h o c a m e before us and found harmo- ny between work and rest in t h e e b b s a n d f l o w s o f nature's rhythms. like today, twice a year on the equinox, when the Sun i s p e r p e n d i c u l a r t o t h e Equator and day and night roughly last the same time. This way, Gorvet concludes, ancient Romans made the m o s t o f d a y l i g h t a l l y e a r round, working when the Sun was up in the sky and resting when it was dark. T i m e , b a c k t h e n , w a s commonly measured using sundials, which relied on t h e S u n ' s p o s i t i o n f o r a v i s u a l r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t i m e . T h e y t y p i c a l l y f e a - tured a flat, circular, or rec- tangular plate with mark- ings indicating the hours of the day, complemented by a gnomon positioned at the center to cast a shadow onto the marked surface. They varied in design and size, from portable pocket sundi- als to larger installations in public spaces, each carefully oriented to receive direct sunlight for accurate time- keeping. Beyond their prac- tical function, sundials held s y m b o l i c a n d d e c o r a t i v e significance, often adorned with intricate designs and inscriptions. In 159 BC, however, the Romans introduced a new t i m e - m e a s u r i n g d e v i c e , the clepsydra, which mea- sured time by the regulated L a s t w e e k e n d Italy, along with m a n y o t h e r countries, tran- sitioned to day- light saving time, a prac- t i c e a i m e d a t m a x i m i z i n g daylight hours during the evening by setting clocks 60 minutes forward. This annu- al adjustment is a modern solution to optimize energy usage and promote outdoor activities. H o w e v e r , t h e c o n c e p t o f t i m e k e e p i n g e v o l v e d significantly over the cen- turies, with ancient civiliza- t i o n s l i k e t h e R o m a n s adopting unique methods to organize their daily routines. Unlike our modern system of fixed, equal intervals, the a n c i e n t R o m a n s h a d a r e m a r k a b l y d i f f e r e n t approach, which resulted in s o m e p r a c t i c e s w e w o u l d c o n s i d e r q u i t e p e c u l i a r today. T h e t r a d i t i o n a l R o m a n method of keeping track of time was born around 293 BC with the installation of t h e f i r s t s u n d i a l i n Rome and was notably dis- tinct from our modern sys- tem: instead of adhering to fixed, equal intervals, the R o m a n s d i v i d e d t h e d a y from sunrise to sunset into twelve hours, and similarly from sunset to sunrise. This r e s u l t e d i n v a r i a b l e h o u r lengths throughout the year, as the duration of daylight changed with the seasons and geographical latitude. During the summer sol- stice, at Rome's latitude, an hour could span approxi - m a t e l y 7 5 m i n u t e s , w h i l e during the winter solstice, it would contract to around 45 minutes. In a recent arti- cle, James Ker, professor of Classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, e x p l a i n e d t o B B C f e a t u r e c o r r e s p o n d e n t Z a r i a Gorvet that the length of h o u r s w o u l d c h a n g e d a y after day from the Summer Solstice to the Winter Sol- stice. It would be a minus- cule time change, perhaps b a r e l y p e r c e i v a b l e d a i l y w h i c h , h o w e v e r , w o u l d e v e n t u a l l y l e a d t o h a v i n g hours of 60 minutes, just CHIARA D'ALESSIO Tracking time... like a Roman! A detail of a sundial, the first type of timekeeping device in Rome (Photo: Chic2View/Dreamstime) HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS PEOPLE

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