diff --git a/hooks/validate.sh b/hooks/validate.sh
index 6a41397..b429fa3 100755
--- a/hooks/validate.sh
+++ b/hooks/validate.sh
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ if [[ ! -d "$DIR" ]]; then DIR="$PWD"; fi
 declare -i MINVERSION=$TIMESTAMPING_VERSION
 declare -i MAX_COMMITS_TO_CHECK=0
 declare -A PROCESSED_COMMIT
+declare -A COMMITS
+declare -A COMMIT_TIMES
 
 while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
   KEY="$1"
@@ -295,7 +297,7 @@ validate_commit() {
 
   if [ $NUM_VALID -gt 0 ]; then
     if [ $NUM_INVALID -gt 0 ]; then
-      echo_warning "Warning: While commit $COMMIT_HASH contains $NUM_VALID valid timestamp tokens and thus is considered proppely timestamped, it also contains $NUM_INVALID invalid timestamp tokens."
+      echo_warning "Warning: While commit $COMMIT_HASH contains $NUM_VALID valid timestamp tokens and thus is considered properly timestamped, it also contains $NUM_INVALID invalid timestamp tokens."
     fi
     DATE_STRING=$(date -d @"$EARLIEST_VALID_UNIX_TIME")
     echo_info "Commit $COMMIT_HASH, which timestamps commit $PARENT_HASH at $DATE_STRING, contains $NUM_VALID valid timestamp tokens."
@@ -341,6 +343,64 @@ validate_commit_and_parents() {
   return 1
 }
 
+# Recursive function to find all ancestors of commit
+# param1: commit hash
+# creates an array COMMITS, key is the commit hash, value is the commit time (Unix epoch seconds)
+# the array contains all commits found in all paths from the passed-in commit hash back to the root commit of the repo
+# the array is global so it can be accessed after the function returns
+find_all_commits() {
+  local COMMIT_HASH="$1"
+  log "find_all_commits for $COMMIT_HASH"
+  # git show "ct" format returns the commit time as Unix epoch seconds
+  COMMIT_TIME=$(git show --no-patch --format=%ct "$COMMIT_HASH")
+  COMMITS[$COMMIT_HASH]="${COMMIT_TIME}"
+
+  local PARENTS=$(git cat-file -p "$COMMIT_HASH" | awk '/^$/{exit} /parent/ {print}' | sed 's/parent //')
+  # iterate over all parents of commit
+  if [ ! -z "$PARENTS" ]; then
+    while read PARENT_HASH; do
+      if [[ ${COMMITS[$PARENT_HASH]} ]]; then
+        log "commit $PARENT_HASH has already been processed"
+      else
+        find_all_commits "$PARENT_HASH"
+      fi
+    done <<< $(printf "%s" "$PARENTS")
+  fi
+}
+
+# Validate the commits in the COMMITS array, up to MAX_COMMITS_TO_CHECK
+# returns: 0 if the validation of the commits succeeded
+validate_commits() {
+  ALL_PASSED=true
+  # create an associative array with keys using the Unix epoch commit time and value the commit hash
+  # this array can be easily used to sort in (forward or reverse) order of time
+  for HASH in "${!COMMITS[@]}"; do
+    UNIX_EPOCH_TIME="${COMMITS[$HASH]}"
+    # two commits could have the exact same Unix epoch in seconds
+    # so make that unique by appending an "x" and the hash
+    UNIQUE_KEY="${UNIX_EPOCH_TIME}x${HASH}"
+    COMMIT_TIMES[$UNIQUE_KEY]="${HASH}"
+  done
+  # sort into reverse order
+  SORTED_KEYS=($(printf "%s\n" "${!COMMIT_TIMES[@]}" | sort -r))
+  # process the commits from latest time to oldest time
+  ALL_PASSED=true
+  for ENTRY in "${SORTED_KEYS[@]}"; do
+    COMMIT_HASH=${COMMIT_TIMES[${ENTRY}]}
+    log "${ENTRY} has value ${COMMIT_HASH}"
+    NUM_COMMITS_CHECKED=${#PROCESSED_COMMIT[@]}
+    if [[ ${NUM_COMMITS_CHECKED} -lt ${MAX_COMMITS_TO_CHECK} ]]; then
+      if ! validate_commit "$COMMIT_HASH"; then
+        ALL_PASSED=false
+      fi
+    fi
+  done
+  if [ "$ALL_PASSED" = true ]; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  return 1
+}
+
 echo_info "Checking repository integrity..."
 #check git repository integrity
 if ! git fsck --full --strict --no-progress --no-dangling "$COMMIT_HASH"; then
@@ -352,10 +412,21 @@ echo ""
 
 echo_info "Validating timestamps. This may take a while..."
 echo ""
-if validate_commit_and_parents "$COMMIT_HASH"; then
-  echo_success "Validation OK: All timestamped commits in the commit history of $COMMIT_HASH contain at least one valid timestamp."
-  exit 0
+if [[ ${MAX_COMMITS_TO_CHECK} -ge 1 ]]; then
+  find_all_commits "$COMMIT_HASH"
+  if validate_commits; then
+    echo_success "Validation OK: ${NUM_COMMITS_CHECKED} timestamped commits in the commit history of $COMMIT_HASH contain at least one valid timestamp."
+    exit 0
+  else
+    echo_error "Validation Failed: There are timestamped commits in the commit history of $COMMIT_HASH which do not contain any valid timestamps."
+    exit 1
+  fi
 else
-  echo_error "Validation Failed: There are timestamped commits in the commit history of $COMMIT_HASH which do not contain any valid timestamps."
-  exit 1
+  if validate_commit_and_parents "$COMMIT_HASH"; then
+    echo_success "Validation OK: All timestamped commits in the commit history of $COMMIT_HASH contain at least one valid timestamp."
+    exit 0
+  else
+    echo_error "Validation Failed: There are timestamped commits in the commit history of $COMMIT_HASH which do not contain any valid timestamps."
+    exit 1
+  fi
 fi