How did ancient civilizations use sundials to tell time?
How did ancient civilizations use sundials to tell time? No one alive today can rightly say when early man first began telling time using the sun, moon, stars and other celestial objects. In the modern world, using these heavenly bodies for more than astrology may seem archaic, but keep in mind, much of today’s calendar and timekeeping traditions have strong roots in ancient models. Back then, civilizations needed time as a matter of basic survival. For example, activities like crop planting and harvesting made it imperative to have knowledge of seasonal changes. The first rudimentary methods of telling time involved simple observations of the natural world, perhaps by wedging sticks in the ground and monitoring the movements of the shadows. This particular experiment would have evoked the most fundamental part of a sundi
