The Sundial: A Travel through Time

Time is something that still flies in the hectic modern world. And now, with time is an elegant style! Look at different brands on the market shows an elegant watch. From the complex, various fashion watches have become more fashionable than ever before! Have you thought about how many people can say time when they asked by somebody,over the years of human history? Without the presence of designer brands, find the time of the day is the most important function of a watch.

The most ancient instrument used to measure the time has always been a sundial. It is an ancient tool is based on scientific calculations, is entirely based on the position of the sun. Sundial can be seen in different types of models. Time is measured by the shadow of the sun.

It is believed that the invention of the sundial to come to around 1500 BC. But historians still do not know where and when it was invented by a sundial. Some reports indicate that some areas of the Middle East fist invented it , and some suggest sundial was also common in the Far East like in China. Sundials were presented in different civilizations for many years significantly in Mesopotamia. In Egypt, the historian identified the use of an obelisk, a large structure, which they use as a sundial. They were placed at various locations in Egypt. He also showed that the time is definitely important to the Egyptians. Archaeologists also use sundials in stone, flat and found 12 centimeters in length.

The Greeks and Romans were known for the development of advanced versions of a sundial. Portable set of observed mainly used the Romans. There are more sophisticated models during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Since ancient times different types of sundials are invented; with the sign for the azimuth and elevation - sundials can thus be divided into two categories. The height of the sundial, are related to the date which is determined by the height of the sun in the sky. Thus, the scale in line with the sun. Azimuth marks indicate the time at the angle of the sun.

Historians mainly gave importance of the time span of 1500-1800 AD, a very crucial period in the history of the sundial. This was the time when the great pionner like Giuseppe Padovani Biancani built sundials seem completely with perfection.

Sundial was not available to all in the past. Most of the people should have looked at the sundial, placed on public place like market. Today, many people still prefer to collect solar clock, although the modern form of watches available. Perhaps the beauty of the mechanism that makes it stand out and unique tool.

When there was no Digital Technology, there was Sundial

Look at your Kindle wireless reading device, to enjoy the versatility of the device, not thinking how our ancestors keep tracking of time without digital technology that they mastered from the sundial.

Sundial, old and ancient device known so far were in the second millennium BC, was invented in China, Egypt and the Middle East. They produce both fixed and mobile sundials in this period. To measure the time; sundial uses the sun high in the sky and the length of the shadow it produces.

Ancient sundials use Horizontal or vertical shadow and hollow cup with clock marked lines were among the most important characteristics of the individual models sundial from the Romans and Greeks developed. With the amount of sun as a guide for measuring time, the Romans developed portable dials.

During the time of Jesus Christus, it was found that the shadow of the wheel parallel to the axis of the earth are a shadow for the same reasons of time and in the same direction all day 365, which gives more reliable measurement of time.

Ivory diptych dial was developed by Johann Gebhart in fifteenth century that makes him a pioneer in improving sundial in human history. In the sixteenth and seventeenth-century Nuremberg became well known for his collection of ivory sundial.

When the south direction of sundial immediately found people started to use the sundial during travel. The invention of the magnetic compass sundial is useful in the correct orientation.          

In the Renaissance and medieval time; complex models of sundials were invented. These sundials were used to calculate the exact time. However, most of the sundial, as decoration purposes was used by rich merchants.

Since today sundials have been evolved in numerous categories like horizontal, vertical, brand, equatorial, polar, analemmatic, reflecting sundial etc. Horizontal sundials are mounted on stands and located in the garden. While, vertical sundial set mainly in the walls of buildings and churches. Portable kit has several versions, such as a set of compressed circular mark, pastors and many others.

You can find a standard sundial in the UK at the center for Science in Nottingham, which was the former home of the famous physicist and mathematician George Green. This sundial can be an admired one by students if they visit that museum.

You can buy for 50 bucks a portable East-West sundial with engraved 4 inch brass.It is wiser to buy very basic models of sundials for less money, but in fact cheaper one are much more complex to read.

Innovation of Sundial in the History

If we look back in history, people have perceived the sunshine as a beauty and blessings of God. What could be a better instrument than sunshine for measuring your precious hours while you rest in the garden?

The early sundial was just a just stick that cast a shadow. The Babylonians and Egyptians built obelisks simply using the sun shade, that means time of day was counted more than 4000 years ago. The Chinese also believed to be perfected some sort if sundial to measure time in the ancient world. 

However, from the archeological inventions; it seems that the Egyptians invented sundial first time in human history around 1500 BC. It was a simple horizontal bar with a raised "T" on one end. Along the east side it shows the hours in the morning and west side in the afternoon, while the length of the shadow along the horizontal bands, labels of the five lines in a unit time measure that says an hour.

                                                                   

                                                                      

There was also small sundial for use in the Warfield. These portable sundials were still used throughout Europe until the mechanical clock invented in the 19 century. Over the centuries, the research on sundial went on in order to improve the accuracy of the sundial: bars have been replaced in the early stage of horizontal flat plates, inclined or vertical plates, bowls and cups with half hemispherical shape, it was found that the angle of the gnomon, or pointer in the shadow of the Earth's axis, the moment at any time of year reflects the match.

Understanding sundial in astronomy and geometry were used later to measure hour and minute in a calculative way which in turn contributed to the invention of a new section in Mathematics called Trigonometry.

Sundials have been used throughout the ancient world, but it was later the Greeks and the Arabs, and Romans, which led to its phenomenal changes. Revolutionary European Renaissance contributes to the golden age for sundial. The sundial was just a little time and astronomical instruments for the period 1500-1800 and various types of sundials were developed during this time. Probably the most extensive was the armillary sundial, set arches open arrows and rings.

Even after the invention of mechanical clocks, sundials were well known for its accuracy of minutes and set up in different churches in the nineteenth century. Complex Renaissance sundial was installed in important public places to see the seasons, date and time of sunrise and sunset. Many sunny hours in this period are still visible; not only in museums, but to "work" continue to garden and buildings, including churches and cathedrals. 

Many of these classic designs of the sundial is now sold by local stores and online shops, is generally regarded as beautiful garden decorating clock, quite seriously. Surprisingly, now a day’s sundials become a popular garden decoration instrument. It is now unavoidable to ignore the sundial as constant elements to present a visual appeal to your garden.