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On the Reconstruction of an Ancient Egyptian Sundial from Archaeological Excavations in the Valley of the Kings
- Authors: Vodolazhskaya L.N.1
-
Affiliations:
- V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University
- Issue: Vol 46, No 1 (2025)
- Pages: 61-74
- Section: From the History of Technology
- URL: https://ruspoj.com/0205-9606/article/view/684641
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.31857/S0205960625010045
- EDN: https://elibrary.ru/CNTSLY
- ID: 684641
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Abstract
The article analyzes hour marking on the ancient Egyptian vertical sundial made of a carved limestone slab, discovered in the Valley of the Kings in 2013 by the University of Basel’s archaeological expedition. Calculations are given of the angles between hour lines and noon line for a vertical sundial with an inclined gnomon and it is concluded that the markings on the tiles correspond to the hour markings of the vertical sundial, with a half-hour shift after midday. A hypothesis is proposed and proved concerning simultaneous use of the vertical sundial with an inclined gnomon, similar to that discovered in the Valley of the Kings, and the ancient Egyptian L-shaped sundial.
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About the authors
Larisa N. Vodolazhskaya
V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University
Author for correspondence.
Email: vodolazhskayaln@cfuv.ru
Physico-Technical Institute
Russian Federation, Prospekt Vernadskogo, 4, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, 295007References
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Supplementary files
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1.
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Fig. 1. Egyptian clock (13th century BC)
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3.
Fig. 2. Limestone tile discovered during archaeological excavations in the Valley of the Kings
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4.
Fig. 3. Limestone slab from the Valley of the Kings, drawing with applied hour lines calculated for a vertical sundial with a horizontal gnomon. The lines on the limestone slab are depicted on the drawing as black solid lines, the hour lines calculated for the equinox are depicted as gray solid lines, for the summer solstice - gray dotted lines, for the winter solstice - gray dotted lines.
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Fig. 4. Diagram illustrating the operating principle of a vertical sundial with an inclined gnomon
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Fig. 5. Limestone slab from the Valley of the Kings, photograph with hour lines applied to it, calculated for whole hours (solid lines) and for half hours (dotted lines)
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Fig. 6. Image of a sundial from the tomb of Seti I in Abydos
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Fig. 7. L-shaped sundial with a linear scale: a – sundial with inventory number 19743 21, b – sundial with inventory number
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Fig. 8. A fragment of papyrus that supposedly depicts a vertical sundial (partial reconstruction by Flinders Petrie): a – drawing of a papyrus fragment, b – reconstruction of an image of an L-shaped sundial (highlighted in dark gray) on the same papyrus fragment
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10.
Fig. 9. Diagram illustrating the arrangement of the segments ai formed by the intersection of adjacent hour lines from 8 to 12 o'clock with a line perpendicular to the midday line, c is the distance from the place where the gnomon is attached to the line perpendicular to the midday line.
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Fig. 10. A complex of vertical sundials with a tilted gnomon, discovered in the Valley of the Kings, and L-shaped sundial No. 19744, illustrating the principle of their combined use
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12.
Fig. 11. Diagram illustrating the arrangement of the segments bi formed by the intersection of adjacent hour lines from 12 to 15.5 o'clock with a line perpendicular to the midday line, c is the distance from the place where the gnomon is attached to the line perpendicular to the midday line.
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Fig. 12. A complex of a vertical sundial with a tilted gnomon, discovered in the Valley of the Kings, and an L-shaped sundial with afternoon hour markings offset by half an hour. The dotted lines illustrate the directions of the gnomon shadow corresponding to the hour markings on the L-shaped sundial.
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