Thesix-hour clock (Italian:sistema orario a sei ore), also called theRoman (alla romana) or theItalian (all'italiana) system, is a system ofdate and time notation in Italy which was invented before the modern24-hour clock. In this system, the day starts at the evening, at the end oftwilight, approximately half an hour after sunset, and the following 24 hours are divided into four cycles of six hours each.
Historically, several other ancient timekeeping systems are known to have begun the day at twilight. In this case the practice in Italy dates to theMiddle Ages,[1] in thePapal States whence it spread to other parts of central Italy. It originates from themonastic tradition ofdividing the day according to prayer times. While common from the 1400s to the 1600s, it was replaced by the12-hour clock first in the north, and in the south around the early 1800s.[1]
Many historic buildings in Italy feature old clock faces divided into six hours, which make four revolutions per day.
A clock which counts only six hours has the advantage of being much simpler mechanically, as the wider gaps between the hour markings mean that the time can be clearly marked using only a single hand.[2]
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