Today, garden sundials are unique and beautiful pieces primarily for decorative use outdoors. But early civilizations depended on outdoor sundials for timekeeping.
The First Sundials
Evidence of outdoor sundials exists in the early Roman, Greek, Babylonian, and Egyptian civilizations, though exactly which people developed the idea first and when is unknown. The oldest outdoor sundials presently known were invented around 340 B.C. and have Greek origins. The history of Chinese and Japanese sundials is an even greater mystery. Almost all areas of the globe have used some form of outdoor sundial; these differ from place to place according to astronomical and mathematical knowledge in the area at different times.
Cultural Influences
As cultures were exposed to one another, meshed or conquered, garden sundials were also influenced. According to Herodotus, the Greeks gained understanding of sundials from the Babylonians; Romans attribute their knowledge of outdoor sundials to the Greeks. In 48 B.C., Cicero wrote about his desires for a outdoor sundial in his own villa. Soon after, Romans had large sundials placed frequently around their grounds.
The Saxons
The early semi-circular outdoor sundials found on many of the oldest English churches were used by the Saxons. There are many variations of this kind of outdoor sundial, but all seem to be based on the division of time the Vikings used - based on the tides. |  |
Bronze Sundials and Sundial Clocks
Outdoor sundials continued to evolve in popularity and in different designs, even after watches became available to the population. Indeed, people might set a clock by the reading from an outdoor sundial.
Outdoor sundials continue to be cherished as a tie to human history and an eye-pleasing addition to any surrounding.
