sundial
Ancient time teller
A sundial is a device that tells time by the position of a shadow cast by the sun.
A raised element (the gnomon) casts a shadow onto a marked surface, indicating the hour as the sun moves across the sky.
Sundials were the primary timekeeping instruments before mechanical clocks: The garden featured an old stone sundial.
Sundial's shadow-casting projection
- shadowLight blocked by object
- horologyTimekeeping science and craft
- noonDay's exact middle
- meridianPole-to-pole great circle
style · hemicycle · hour angle · solar time · local time
Sun crosses celestial midline
- solsticeDay of maximum tilt
- celestialOf the sky above
- latitudeGeographic or personal freedom
- longitudeEast-west angular distance
declination · azimuth · zenith · ecliptic · zodiac · obliquity · altitude · sidereal
For beauty, not function
- pedestalSupport for statuary
- birdbathOutdoor water basin for avians
- fountainWater-spouting structure
- gazeboRoofed outdoor shelter
pathway · botanical · landscaping · parterre · courtyard · centerpiece · plinth · verdigris
Of ancient Italy's capital
- GreekOf Athenian origin
- EgyptianRelating to the pharaohs' land
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
relic · antiquity · classical · temple · obelisk · Vitruvius · inscription · medieval
Latin for fleeting time
- carpe diemGrasp the present moment
- inscriptionText permanently marked
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
- LatinAncient Roman language
memento mori · seize the day · time flies · philosophical · contemplative · meditative · wisdom · reflection
gnomon
Sundial's shadow-casting projection
meridian · style · hemicycle · hour angle · solar time · local time
equinox
Sun crosses celestial midline
longitude · declination · azimuth · zenith · ecliptic · zodiac · obliquity · altitude · sidereal · transit
ornamental
For beauty, not function
gazebo · pathway · botanical · landscaping · parterre · courtyard · centerpiece · plinth · verdigris · bronze
Roman
Of ancient Italy's capital
archaeology · relic · antiquity · classical · temple · obelisk · Vitruvius · inscription · medieval · monastery
tempus fugit
Latin for fleeting time
- carpe diemGrasp the present moment
- inscriptionText permanently marked
- engravingCarving into hard surfaces
Latin · memento mori · seize the day · time flies · philosophical · contemplative · meditative · wisdom · reflection · mortality
- analog technologyanalog clocks, analog clock, analog computers, film cameras, analog meter
- dials
- garden featurespath, lawn, hedge, koi pond, arbor
- timekeeping devicesclock, watch, timer, stopwatch, hourglass
- timekeeping traditionshourglass, water clock, calendar, lunar calendar, solar calendar
- timepiecesclock, wristwatch, pocket watch, stopwatch, wall clock
sundialwater clock
Liquid-flow timekeeping device
nocturnal · atomic clock · digital clock · electric clock · mechanical clock