  This article presents the results of a study of signs on a Bronze Age slab
discovered in the vicinity of a heavily plowed mound near the settlement of
Pyatikhatki. The slab belongs to the Dolmen archaeological culture. In the
course of this research, it was proved that the Pyatikhatki slab is a unique
measuring tool, that combines elements of sundial and water clock. It has all
the cup marks of an analemmatic sundial, except for the presence of a precise
analemma, which at that time, it seems, could not yet be built. The vertical
gnomon moved only along the north-south line, and the time was determined
approximately. Most likely, this was due to the lack of accuracy in measuring
time using the water clock of that era. It is possible that it was their
imperfection that was the incentive for the development of a new type of watch
- a sundial, which would allow measuring time over a long period with a higher
accuracy.
