Unique sundial from the 3rd century AD presented in the Philippi Museum

A portable sundial, made in the 3rd century AD, is on display at the Archaeological Museum at Philippi in Kavala, in northern Greece, and is marked by the Ministry of Culture as “exhibit of the week”.

The sundial is the earliest type of time-measuring device that tells the time of day from the position of the shadow of an object exposed to the sun’s rays. During the day, the sun moves across the sky, causing the object’s shadow to move and indicating the passage of time.

This unique chronometer is stored on the ground floor of the museum in a special showcase and was exhibited at major foreign exhibitions.

According to the ministry’s Facebook post, “The portable sundial consists of three independent but touching flattened rings that rotate 360 ​​degrees independently, giving the instrument the shape of a spherical astrolabe. On the outer curved side of the middle ring, two on each half ring, the names and latitudes of cities are engraved: ROMECH MAG UENN(HC) ME–ALEXAN(DREAC) MLA-RHODOS MLS.

On both sides of the thickness of the surface, the names of the months are engraved in such a way that they correspond to each city: on the one hand, the months from January to June, and on the other, from July to December. A depression is formed in the inner ring on the outer curved surface, in the middle of which an optometric hole is open. The inner curved side is engraved into 12 sections.

The instrument also measures geographic latitude. A unique find can measure hours, be used for approximate measurements of latitude, determine the azimuth and height of the sun or some other star. It is based on the achievements of the Hellenistic tradition, which the Byzantines cultivated under the influence of the Christian worldview, as well as interactions with the world of Islam.

The Archaeological Museum in Philippi is located on the territory of the archaeological site of the same name.

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