Page 2

Editorial

This editorial discusses the variety of sundials in this issue for different age groups and periods, from ancient to ultra-modern. It encourages submissions for the BSS Awards Scheme 2000 and highlights Sarah Symons' lecture on Egyptian Shadow Clocks and an obituary for founding member Charles Aked.
The BSS and Members

Page 3

Shadowy Secrets: The Lure of the Obscure (Part 1)

This article explores hidden meanings, symbolism, and imagery in sundials. It delves into devices like chronograms, palindromes, anagrams, rebuses, and "false identity" dials, presenting examples and puzzles (with solutions) related to cryptic inscriptions and designs.
Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials, Mottoes, Sundial Design & Layout

John Moir

Page 6

The Mass Dial Group in East Anglia

Reports on the Mass Dial group's weekend hunt in East Anglia, organised by Dr. John Davis. Members explored churches in Norfolk and Suffolk, locating 155 dials on 109 churches, despite challenges like rain and overgrown churchyards. The report also touches upon local architecture, like round towers, and the gradual disappearance of older dials.
Dials: Mass Dials, Historical Dials, The BSS and Members

Margaret Stanier

Page 8

Helios XXII

This article introduces an innovative 'Helios XXII' sundial concept, designed as an architectural shell structure or summerhouse. It features a hemispherical dome with a reflective pool at its centre and a stainless steel rod circulating water creating ripples. Reflections from the water, with shadows from the concentric ripples, are projected onto the dome's underside, marking hours and seasons, aiming for a tranquil contemplative environment.
Construction Projects, Dials: Hemispherical, Dials: Unusual, Sundial Design & Layout

Barry Mason

Page 9

Restoration and Conservation

This article outlines the British Sundial Society's policy on restoration and conservation of sundials. It defines terms like restoration, conservation, and replacement, and specifies BSS involvement, advising on accurate restoration while avoiding legal liability. The policy discourages restoration of Saxon or Mass Dials, prioritising their conservation and detailed recording.
Restoration projects, The BSS and Members

Page 10

The Newbury Meeting 20 June 1998

This report summarises the BSS Newbury meeting on the eve of the Summer Solstice. It covers talks on Hampshire sundials, raised horizontal dials, astro-compass conversions, and a sun compass. The event also featured an exhibition of various sundials and computer programs, highlighting members' ingenuity and the collaborative spirit of the society.
DIY Sundial Projects, Dialling Tools, Historical Dials, The BSS and Members

John Moir
Peter Ransom

Page 12

Analysis of the Sundials on the Tower of the Winds, Athens: Possible Parameters Used in Construction

This article presents a detailed analysis of the ancient sundials on the Tower of the Winds in Athens using high-precision geodetic data. The study aims to identify the cardinal design parameters, such as geographic latitude, ecliptic angle, and gnomon length, used in their construction. It explores historical measurements and proposes a plausible interpretation for the cylindrical dial.
Dials: Cylindrical, Historical Dials, Mathematics of Dialling, Sundial Design & Layout

Manfred Hüttig

Page 16

Time's Tune on a Liquidambar Leaf

This article describes a unique sundial commission, featuring a gilded metal liquidambar leaf design. It incorporates an innovative equation-of-time correction system called 'Time's Tune,' which uses musical analogy to plot values on a treble clef. The dial provides a direct read-out of clock time with specific adjustments for longitude.
Construction Projects, Dials: Unusual, Equation of Time, Sundial Design & Layout

R. P. M. Holliday

Page 18

Obituary: Charles Kenneth Aked (1921-1998)

This obituary pays tribute to Charles Kenneth Aked, a principal 'founding father' and first editor of the British Sundial Society's Bulletin, who passed away on 22 April 1998. It details his diverse career in engineering and horology, his extensive gnomonic bibliographies, and his significant contributions to the BSS, highlighting his dedication and personality.
The BSS and Members

Christopher Daniel

Page 20

Mass Dials in Ireland

This article explores the scarcity of early Christian mass dials in Ireland, contrasting it with their prevalence in England and France. It discusses the potential fate of portable dials, the discovery of a 'Sundial' stone at Boyle Abbey with curious markings, and poses questions about its purpose to readers.
Dials: Mass Dials, Historical Dials

Andrew J. Ogden

Page 21

Editor's Notes

This section invites Italian-speaking members to review a new journal, discusses the terminology of 'Italian' and 'Italic' hours, mentions the publication of Allan Mills' lecture on Altitude Dials, and announces a planned group tour to the UK for the BSS 10th Anniversary in 1999.
The BSS and Members

Page 24

Readers' Letters

This section features a collection of correspondence from readers covering diverse topics. These include the origin of Bernhardt Dials, methods for finding the meridian, updates on Newbury BSS meetings, a problematic sundial in Lluc, Mallorca, discussions on the 'Eureka' credit card compass, and inquiries about spherical and 'problematic' Italian dials.
Dialling Tools, Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials, The BSS and Members

Page 27

International Sundial Symposium

This article reports on the International Sundial Symposium in Genk, Belgium, which showcased designs from an international competition. It describes several winning sundials, including polyhedral, polar, catenary, and an innovative digital sundial by Hans Scharstein, highlighting the diversity and ingenuity in contemporary gnomonic design.
Construction Projects, Dials: Unusual

Allan A. Mills

Page 27

Gregory: The Gipsy Dial

This article describes the creation of "Gregory," a vertical direct south sundial designed specifically for young children and school use. Made from recycled metals, the dial features a gypsy face, with hair and eyebrows shaped to represent the equation of time. Its design aims to attract youngsters and serve as a teaching aid for time and longitude.
DIY Sundial Projects, Dials: Vertical, Equation of Time, Sundial Design & Layout

A. F. Baigent

Page 30

Shadow Clocks and Sloping Sundials of the Egyptian New Kingdom and Late Period: Usage, Development and Structure

This article explores two types of ancient Egyptian sundials: L-shaped shadow clocks and sloping sundials. It discusses their religious and practical contexts, refutes the 'crossbar hypothesis' for shadow clocks, and traces the evolution of these instruments through hieroglyphs. The article concludes that these devices served as symbolic representations rather than accurate time-keepers.
Dials: Portable, Historical Dials

Sarah Symons

Page 37

Sundials: The Silent Voice of Time

This article documents the impact of the civil war in former Yugoslavia on some sundials in Sarajevo, illustrating their destruction and disappearance. Through before-and-after photographs, it shows a marble sundial damaged by a shell fragment, a faculty building dial hit by artillery, and a west-facing wall dial that vanished, highlighting how even these silent timekeepers suffer during conflict.
Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials

Milutin Tadic

Page 38

Reviews: Offprints

This section reviews three offprints: Dr. Wall's study of Anglo-Saxon sundials in Ryedale, detailing octaval day divisions; Finn Magnusen's monograph on ancient Scandinavian time divisions and 'daymarks'; and Dr. Milutin Tadic's paper on old sundials in Serbian lands, covering Roman, medieval, and 19th-century examples, noting their scarcity due to Turkish rule.
Book Reviews, Historical Dials

Mike Shaw
John M'Caul (translator)
Milutin Tadic

Page 40

Journal Review

This article reviews *Compendium*, the journal of NASS, featuring J.M. Bores' new conical sundial design, measuring Babylonian and Italian hours, and an article by Robert L. Kellogg on Bede's cosmological and geographical works, including his observations on day-length variations. It also mentions a regular "Sightings" feature on notable dials.
Book Reviews, Dials: Unusual, Sundial Design & Layout

Mike Shaw

Page 41

Book Reviews

Examines Stephen Jay Gould's "Questioning the Millennium," which humorously discusses the historical and logical inconsistencies of millennium transitions. It delves into Dennis the Short's chronology, the concept of zero, and calendrics, making it relevant for diallists and those interested in the measurement of time; and "A Dozen Dials" by Peter Ransom
Book Reviews

John Moir

Page 42

Dial Dealings

This article provides an overview of international dealers in scientific instruments who stock sundials, including Trevor Philip & Sons (London), Stuart Talbot (Portobello Market), Librarie Alain Brieux (Paris), and Tesseract (New York). It highlights specific rare and interesting dials, like a Serle's Universal Rule compendium, and advises on attending scientific instrument fairs and auctions.

Mike Cowham

Page 44

Cross-Beam Ciphers

This article investigates the history and interpretation of cross-beam ciphers found on medieval sundials and calendars across Northern and Central Europe. It challenges previous terminologies like 'carpenter's numerals' and 'Styrian ciphers', proposing a new theory that these ciphers originated from condensed counting frames (abaci) used for financial calculations.
Historical Dials, Sundial Design & Layout

Karlheinz Schaldach