The division of the day into 24 hours is often associated with ancient Egyptian timekeeping practices.
Based on historical and archaeological evidence, the Egyptians divided the day into 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night, using tools like sundials, shadow clocks, and water clocks. Night hours were tracked using the movement of groups of stars called ‘decans.’
While there is no single definitive source explaining the origin of the 24-hour system, the Egyptians’ innovations in timekeeping laid the groundwork for later practices.