The earliest Sundials known from the archaeological record are the obelisks (3500 bc) and shadow clocks (1500 BC) from ancient Egyptian astronomy. In roughly 700 BC, the old testament describes a sundial — the “dial of Ahaz”.
The Armillary is one of the most ancient of astronomical instruments. The spherical astrolabe is often placed on a pedestal and adorned by grotesque masks, acanthus leaves, scrolls and swags. In its’ simplest form, it consists of a ring fixed in the plane of the equator.