The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-05-28
THE ANTIQUE SUN DIAL.
A Time-keeper Used by Ma
tions OF Antiquity.
Mauy Of Them Still Manufaotured-The
History of Sun Diala

Many Of Them Still Manufactured-The
History Of Sun Diala
On the sidewalk in front of the store
of an optician and dealer in astro-
nomical instruments in upper Broad.
way stands sun dial. "Clocks and
watches have, Of course, supplanted
sun dials entirely as time keepers" the
optician said, "but many are bought
by gentlemen owning country seats to
adorn their grounds, and others by
colleges and seminaries for purposes
Of instruction. Many of them can be
found on places along the Hudson, and,
In fact, almost anywhere in the neigh
oorhood of New York city. They are
made of marble with brass gnomon-
the shaft which casts the shadow-or
entirely of brass, which becomes bronz-
ed by age. The divisions on the dial
must be adapted to the latitude of the
place where the instrument is set up.
In order to construct a dial the maker
should have an acquaintance with some
Of the simple doctrines of astronomy,
with the elements of geometry, and
plane and spherical trigonometry. The
use of the instrument is readily learn
ed. 1t can be set up in various posi-
tlons, vertical, horizontal, declining, or
nclining. 1t may also be said that
there are human sun dials, as the in
telligent farmer, by noting his shadow
east by the sun, can readily tell the
hour Of the day.
"The date of the invention of the
sun dial is unknown, but the earliest
mention of it is in the Bible, in Second
Chronicles, thirty-second chapter,
swenty-fourth verse, where It's re-
corded that Hezekiah was sick and
orayed unto the Lord, and received in
answer sign, which is particularly
described in Isaiah, thirty-eighth chap
;er, eighth verse, as follows: Behold,
[ will bring again the shadow of the
degrees which is gone down in the sun
lial of Ahaz ten degrees backward. So
the sun returned ten degrees, by which
degrees it was gone down Seven
hundred years before the Christian
era the Chaldeans, among the earliest
astronomers, divided the day into six
~ parts in some manner, but the first
sun dial used by them was the hemi-
,ycle or hemisphere made by Berosus
who lived about $40 B. G. This prim'
tive instrument consisted of concave
hemisphere placed horizontally in an
open space, with the concavity toward
he zenith. A small globe was sus
pended, or fixed in any way at its cen,
ire, and the shadow marked the SUM-
iaily flight by means Of regular line:
, apon the dial. 1t is highly probable
hat all the nations Of antiquity uset
,un dials, but none has been found il
= Egypt, although they may be buried il
The ruins of the cities. However,
,eems to be unquestionable that tn
,belisks were intended as gnomon!
md that their shadows told the hou
If the day with sufficient CORRECTNESS
% the inhabitants of ancient Egyp
:. The circle of Osymandias, an Egyptia
- lstronomer, might have determine
. he azimuths of the heavenly bodie
:, md thereby have told the hour OF tn
lay or night. In Rome the sun di
vas seen for the first time about 2s
=, 3. c., one having been captured fro
~ he Samnites, and in 26l B. G. Valer
, is Messala placed in the forum di
y which he had taken at Catania. TT
y Arabians acquired the sun dial fro
= = he Greeks, and were enthusiastic st
~ tents of astronomy and mathematic
" There is in the British Museum a col
r ,ination of four dials called the dif
. If Phedrus. They are traced on
u. Jingle block of pentelique marble, al
" hey date from the second or thi
~ century of the Christian era Th
we're part of the spoils of Lord Elge
~ Mn' But it would take too long to
" ,ail the entire history of the sun di
Nv As 1 said before, it was most probal
" ased by all nations of antiquity, and
~ n some countries utilized to this d;
:" and considering the use the avera
" Individual or even nation makes Of
20 sime, am not prepared to say IL
~ the sun dial is not good enou
ne ;imepiece yet."-Ne7D York Sun.