Bill Thayer wrote:
>
> It looks like it means that water clocks or clepsydras -- which in
> Antiquity at least were accurate enough that were engineered to give
> seasonal solar hours although of their own they give equinoctial hours --
> are used for the initial calibration of sundials.
This perhaps, brings up another issue, one that I've wondered
about for sometime and which I have corresponded with a few of you
about. Namely who, when and by what means was the analemma 'discovered'.
Surely some form of regular timepiece must have been used, was it indeed
some form of water clock? Mario Arnaldi has sent me information
mentioning that the analemma was well known by the fifth century B.C.!
He also mentioned
that Vitruvius explains it precisely in his ninth book of 'De
Architectura'.
I think it would be quite interesting to have a full historical
account of the analemma, does anyone have it or know where I can get it?
Regards,
Luke
