Abstract

Gibbs: Eleven hour lines divide two day curves and the lower edge. Healey: The dial is made of soft local sandstone and it has been quite badly abraded. It is not clear from Janssen and Savignao whether it was in better condition when found, though their drawing is certainly idealized! In design it is a typical Roman Hellenistic dial. The time-keeping surface is a quarter-sphere, 12.65 cm in radius, divided by eleven lines (intended to be equidistant from each other, though in reality they are a little irregular) marking the hours of the day. The gnomon was set horizontally, though it is not likely that the present gnomon is the original one, since Janssen and Savignao imply that the gnomon was missing. The dial was designed to face south and the south-facing face is vertical (though ancient dials of this type are often undercut). In addition to the hour-lines there is a single day-curve parallel to the front edge and 5 cm. from it, marking a particular day in the solar year. On dials of this kind it is more usual to find three day-curves, one for each solstice and one for the equinox. Where only one line appears it is normally the equinox line.