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Sundials have been in use in one form or another by various civilizations for over 5,000 years. Historically, the use of sundials was said to have originated with the Chaldeans and Sumerians in Babylonia (now known as Iraq). They utilized vertical rods on buildings as shadow casting devices to relate time and date. They were also the first civilization to divide the heavens into the 12 signs of the zodiac, the year into twelve months, the week into 7 days and the day into 24 hours.
Building on the foundations started by the Chaldeans and Sumerians, the Greeks and Romans crafted a large variety of decorative and functional sundials and used them in their many empires.
In 100 B.C., the Tower of Winds was erected in Athens at the foot of the Acropolis. This Tower was originally built to contain a Waterclock; however, a large sundial with a horizontal gnomon was carved into each wall of the octagonal structure. The angle of the shadow of the sun fell on a circular disk that was numbered. The place where the shadow fell was the approximate time, while the length of the shadow told the date; thus, the Tower of Winds was both a clock and calendar.
Over time, fine craftsmen developed higher and higher levels of skill and decorative finesse when crafting sundials. With the advent of increased artistry, sundials slowly became more and more valuable and expensive to own. What was once a common item for most homes now became rarer and rarer, so much so that most villages and towns would mount a ‘communal’ sundial in the town centre, usually by a church, park or town hall for the benefit of all the inhabitants.
Now, though we have no real need for a sundial to keep our time for us, it is a time-honored and historic item that many gardeners and homeowners find especially captivating.
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