Hello Sara, The term "Universal dial" is very useful to indicate that the dial can be used at several latitudes. Adding the range of latitudes where this is true is good idea.
But still I haven't any idea what type of dial it is. It may be a universal ring dial or a universal bifilar dial or a Butterfield or ...... Most of the time it will be necessary to add more information to identify the sundial. The real dial or a picture of it will do best for this I think. Otherwise a description has to be made. Because there are so many possibilities to construct dials, and in the past so many have been made, it will be a difficult job to classify them in one system. Best wishes, Fer. Fer J. de Vries [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.iae.nl/users/ferdv/ Eindhoven, Netherlands lat. 51:30 N long. 5:30 E ----- Original Message ----- From: Sara Schechner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2000 6:11 PM Subject: Re: sundial taxonomy > >>> As an alternative approach we could get round this by specifying > the angles of universality. e.g., UNIVERSAL 60°N - 10°S. This is a > more scientific way of doing it. Again, I look for your comments.<<<< > > In cataloging sundials in museum collections and elsewhere, this is precisely the approach I take. > > Traditionally, the term "universal" is understood to imply only a limited range of latitudes (perhaps due to the term's eurocentric origins) and really is shorthand for "serving multiple latitudes." Given the long history of the term, I don't want to change it or introduce "semi-universal," etc. But as you suggest, I think it best to identify the parameters in which the dial is in fact "universal." > > Sara > >
