06-22-2008, 12:41 AM
Hi all,
probably a combination of water clocks or the position of the stars and probably calls - the hours of the night being divided into the appearance or dissaperance of particular constellations you would know (as a rough and probably very wrong example off the top of my head) that at the moment Sirius appears it would be the third hour of the night and thus your watch was over - you could then wake your replacement. Being an army you would probably need to wait till the duty officer dismissed you probably with a call or signal of some kind.
Also, unless it was completely clouded over or overcast you could tell the relative positions of the stars if any one identifiable star was visible - even Homer Od 5.269-281 has passages showing how Odysseus navagated using such a technique - that was the best conference paper I ever attended - R Hannah 'Odysseus' Navigation' Prudentia 29.1 1997, 15-33
The sources on night watches assume that the time keeping is not an issue only alertness.
Cheers
Murray
probably a combination of water clocks or the position of the stars and probably calls - the hours of the night being divided into the appearance or dissaperance of particular constellations you would know (as a rough and probably very wrong example off the top of my head) that at the moment Sirius appears it would be the third hour of the night and thus your watch was over - you could then wake your replacement. Being an army you would probably need to wait till the duty officer dismissed you probably with a call or signal of some kind.
Also, unless it was completely clouded over or overcast you could tell the relative positions of the stars if any one identifiable star was visible - even Homer Od 5.269-281 has passages showing how Odysseus navagated using such a technique - that was the best conference paper I ever attended - R Hannah 'Odysseus' Navigation' Prudentia 29.1 1997, 15-33
The sources on night watches assume that the time keeping is not an issue only alertness.
Cheers
Murray
Murray K Dahm
Moderator
\'\'\'\'No matter how many you kill, you cannot kill your successor\'\'\'\' - Seneca to Nero - Dio 62
\'\'\'\'There is no way of correcting wrongdoing in those who think that the height of virtue consists in the execution of their will\'\'\'\' - Ammianus Marcellinus 27.7.9
Moderator
\'\'\'\'No matter how many you kill, you cannot kill your successor\'\'\'\' - Seneca to Nero - Dio 62
\'\'\'\'There is no way of correcting wrongdoing in those who think that the height of virtue consists in the execution of their will\'\'\'\' - Ammianus Marcellinus 27.7.9