Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Corner View - Time



The city of Cambridge has 19 sundials. There is even a book about them, 'Cambridge Sundials' by Alexis Brookes & Margaret Stanier, and a Cambridge Sundial Trail which you can walk around. This one, which has six faces, is above the Gate of Honour at Gonville & Caius College.

The obelisks of ancient Egypt from 3500 BC onwards were the first type of sundial, and the first instruments for telling the time. The Old Testament ( Isaiah 38:8 and II Kings 20:11) also describes a sundial, the Dial of Ahaz, from around 700 BC.

Sundials often have a motto inscribed beneath them:

'Let others tell of storms and showers; I mark only the sunny hours'

'Mach' es wie die Sonnenuhr: zähl' die heitren Stunden nur!' (Do like a sundial and count only the sunny hours!)


11 comments:

  1. Je ne compte que les heures claires ! That's a French idea about sundials...
    This one is beautiful.

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  2. We have a sundial on our village church- and I love marking only the sunny hours :)

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  3. that is so nice ... marking only the sunny hours :)

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  4. In our part of the world, that would often mean there was no time at all to mark :-( I'll towards your region to mark the sunny hours, eh?

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  5. what a cool quote. I'll pass it on to a sun-loving friend who's going to love it too.

    been reading a bit about cambridge lately on a biography too. would love to go one day.

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  6. I always love your posts because I learn so much!

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  7. that's a good motto lo live by

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  8. like the quote, and i learned a lot, thanks

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  9. But I like the stormy hours too. :)

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  10. Love the sunny view on time!
    (though sorry I'm late:)

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  11. I not only love the sundial, but the quote!! xo

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