
The Byzantine sundial: telling the time in the 6th century
4 Video Views·May 17, 2025
This ancient mechanical calendar is the second oldest geared device ever discovered.
It included both a sundial for telling the time and a geared calendar, driven by a dial showing the seven days of the week. Although only these fragments survive, evidence suggests that it may have been used to convert between a popular calendar based on the phases of the Moon and the official Sun-based calendar of the Byzantine Empire.
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