Ancient sundials

Ancient sundials are devices that tell time by using the position of the sun’s shadow. They typically consist of a flat surface marked with lines and a stick called a gnomon that stands upright. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow of the gnomon shifts, pointing to different marked hours. By observing where the shadow falls, people could determine the time of day. Sundials were used in many ancient civilizations and vary in design, but they all rely on the predictable movement of the sun’s shadow to measure time accurately during daylight hours.