March 2012 page 8
Mario Arnaldi

The Canterbury Pendant. Part 2: Relationships with the Libellus’ rule

This second part of the article investigates the Canterbury pendant, a 10th-century portable sundial. It compares its graphic layout with the Libellus de mensura horologii and the Roman cylinder dial of Este, exploring the use of two gnomons for different seasons and their relationship to hour curves.
Dials: Portable, Historical Dials, How Sundials Work, Mathematics of Dialling

December 2011 page 2
Mario Arnaldi

The Canterbury Pendant. Part 1: A New Insight from an Ancient Rule for Making Portable Altitude Dials

This article summarises the author's attempt to create a clear and correct edition of an ancient text, previously attributed to Bede, on constructing an altitude dial. The findings provide new insight into the famous ‘Canterbury pendant’ and suggest it was made more correctly than previously believed. The text describes a pendant altitude dial, possibly hexagonal, working like a cylinder dial, with specific dimensions and a calendar system.
Construction Projects, Dials: Portable, Historical Dials, Mathematics of Dialling

October 2000 page 109
Mario Arnaldi

Medieval Monastic Sundials with Six Sectors: An Investigation into Their Origin and Meaning

Explores the historical and liturgical rationale behind medieval six-sector sundials, their canonical hour divisions, and theological symbolism.
Dials: Mass Dials, Historical Dials, How Sundials Work, Mathematics of Dialling

February 1998 page 22
Mario Arnaldi

Sundials Painted in the Cloister of an Italian Monastery

Survey of painted dials in a monastery cloister at Taggia (Imperia), noting multiple faces, canonical hours and decorative treatments, with historical context and observations on preservation.
Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials, Restoration projects

June 1998 page 14
Mario Arnaldi

Da Buti, Dante and the Measure of Time

This article discusses the division of the day as described in Dante's 'Divine Comedy' and the commentary by Da Buti, explaining how the church used seasonal hours and placed offices around the hour of midday. It also connects the hourly markers on a sundial to the end of time periods rather than the beginning.
Dials: Mass Dials, Historical Dials

October 1997 page 13
Mario Arnaldi

Ancient Sundials of Ireland

This survey details the unique sundials of early Irish monastic communities (6th-15th centuries), cut from single stone steles and often engraved with crosses. Used by monks for religious services, these dials feature varying hour lines and decorative elements for canonical hours. The article describes specific examples and discusses their construction, placement in cemeteries, and the debate over large gnomon holes.
Dials: Mass Dials, Historical Dials