Abstract

A dial of this kind would normally have 3 canonical calendar lines, which correspond to the winter solstice, equinoxes and summer solstice (tropai) respectively, like the example from Samos. More detailed than other examples, the scaphe of Kourion, is treated with a total of 7 calendar circles (one such example is spotted in Ain Khanoum) and it is tilting 60 degrees from all sides. Each calendar circle corresponds to the beginning of ancient months. Ideally, the Kourion sundial would work accurately in Cairo (Roman Babylon) or perhaps, Alexandria, and in Petra, Jordan which have a latitude identical to the tilting angle of the cone and the reading surface (30° - 31° 30΄ Ν) and was imported to Kourion, Cyprus, which has a latitude of approximately 34° 40' N. Gnomon length should have been 0.1673 [Text by Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos]