When I think of sundials, I think of the metal or perhaps stone and metal garden sundials that decorate yards and lawns, and bring a smile when you think of how limiting they would be if we had to rely on sundials to tell time every day.

Find Great Discount Prices on Sundial Compass!
#|WPCallToAction#|701f6195-49b9-49ef-b87c-74f3f60e5c88#|
And I would never have thought about something as common in its day as a portable sundial. But they really were pretty common back in sundial days. In fact, I've found at least one website with instructions for building your own portable sundial. To me, the image of a somewhat large, definitely heavy yard or garden sundial -- and certainly not the historical pillars and obelisks! -- simply don't seem all that portable. And, of course, they aren't.

But if you check the link above to the "how-to" page on portable sundials, you'll find they can indeed be made light weight and even small enough to fit in a large pocket, or perhaps a good backpack, for portability.

The key to portability if you want to make your own "pocket" sized or even ring sized sundial is to understand the easiest principle behind sundials: an object that will cast a shadow on a fixed dial or surface with uniform degrees or measurement marks. Think of a post and a circle.

A search of Internet images pulls up a wealth of photos and paintings of beautiful, intricate craftsmanship from the 16th century onward of hand-held and other small sundials. One, found at a museum in Liverpool, England, is the size of a small book and opens like a book. Carved out of ivory, this portable sundial has a string attached to the bottom of the "book," which is stretched tight when the sundial is opened. Time is read by following the shadow of the string across the circle carved in the ivory. It is adjustable (I'm not enough of a "smart person" to figure out exactly how that works) so that you can tell accurate time as you travel, adjusting according to the latitude in which you're using the device.

To me, the most spectacular portable sundials are sundial rings, purportedly used by Benedictine Monks in the 17th or 18th centuries to help them keep track of time so that they could say their proper daily prayers on time. Some of the rings were quite ornately and beautifully done.

Enjoy the best of all worlds with the ancient and beautiful technology if you can. Find a sundial to decorate your yard, garden, or patio -- and make or purchase a clever portable sundial to carry with you. Much classier looking than a cell phone!