Gordon, as far as I know the most famous Egyptian obelisk used as gnomon, is the obelisk for the large sundial ordered by the emperor Augustus. This obelisk, was carried to Rome, as war tropheum, by the roman soldiers at 12 BC. Today, of the old Augustus big horizontal sundial, it remains only some square meter but at 1748, by order of the pope Benedetto XIV, the archeologists dug up the obelisk and it is still used as gnomon for a more modern sundial (it has only the meridian line) situated in front of the Italian Parliament building. Another smaller obelisk is used as gnomon in the horizontal sundial in the center of St. Peter's square.
Regards Tonino Tasselli P.S. For more details please read here: http://www.romeartlover.it/Vasi21a.htm http://www.romeartlover.it/Vasi27.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Uber" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <sundial@rrz.uni-koeln.de> Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 6:29 AM Subject: Egyptian obelisks used as sundials? > Sundial List: > > I have seen vague mention of Egyptian obelisks being used as gnomons for > sundials, with hours marked on the ground, perhaps as early as 3500 BCE. No > details have been given. > > If anyone could supply any details (description, location, citation) or > could point me in a helpful direction it would be very greatly appreciated. > > The only early sun clock I have been able to find comprises a bar casting a > shadow on a calibrated cross bar, circa 1500 BCE. The obelisks I have been > able to find seem to be only monumental. > > I have seen a list of hourly hymns (both day and night) from the temple of > Amun-Ra (or Re) at Karnak circa 1500 BCE; the temporal hours must come from > somewhere, with the Karnak clepsydra being a possible source for the night > hours. Reference: "The Cult of Ra" by Stephen Quirke, 2001, containing > hymns published by Jan Assmann. > > Gordon Uber > San Diego, California > > - -
