▁clock ▁b ells ▁to ▁sound ▁the ▁hours ▁and ▁qu arters . ▁ ▁Histor ically , ▁b ells ▁have ▁been ▁associated ▁with ▁religious ▁r ites , ▁and ▁are ▁still ▁used ▁to ▁call ▁communities ▁together ▁for ▁religious ▁services . ▁Later , ▁b ells ▁were ▁made ▁to ▁comm emor ate ▁important ▁events ▁or ▁people ▁and ▁have ▁been ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁concepts ▁of ▁peace ▁and ▁freedom . ▁The ▁study ▁of ▁b ells ▁is ▁called ▁camp an ology . ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁Bell ▁is ▁a ▁word ▁common ▁to ▁the ▁Low ▁German ▁dialect s , ▁cogn ate ▁with ▁Middle ▁Low ▁German ▁ ▁and ▁Dutch ▁bel ▁but ▁not ▁appearing ▁among ▁the ▁other ▁German ic ▁languages ▁except ▁the ▁I cel and ic ▁ ▁which ▁was ▁a ▁loan word ▁from ▁Old ▁English . ▁It ▁is ▁popular ly ▁but ▁not ▁certainly ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁former ▁sense ▁of ▁to ▁bell ▁( , ▁" to ▁ro ar , ▁to ▁make ▁a ▁loud ▁noise ") ▁which ▁gave ▁rise ▁to ▁b ellow . ▁ ▁History ▁▁ ▁The ▁earliest ▁arch ae ological ▁evidence ▁of ▁b ells ▁dates ▁from ▁the ▁ 3 rd ▁mill en ni um ▁BC , ▁and ▁is ▁trac ed ▁to ▁the ▁Yang sh ao ▁culture ▁of ▁Ne ol ith ic ▁China . ▁Cla pper - b ells ▁made ▁of ▁pot tery ▁have ▁been ▁found ▁in ▁several ▁arch ae ological ▁sites . ▁The ▁pot tery ▁b ells ▁later ▁developed ▁into ▁metal ▁b ells . ▁In ▁West ▁Asia , ▁the ▁first ▁b ells ▁appear ▁in ▁ 1 0 0 0 ▁BC . ▁ ▁The ▁earliest ▁metal