Year 2003

Sundial of the month February

A Frisian Treasure Hunt

You should be so lucky!
Piet Boersma of Ferwerd was planting trees on the grounds of the former Sythiema Estate in Hallum, Friesland.
Digging, he hit something solid....a treasure?

In a way, yes; for sundial lovers at any rate.

Cleaning revealed a stone slab with the year 1564 clearly marked.
Also, the initials GG of the maker are visible; however, it is unknown who this might be.
The stone carries many different sundials, all proving that the maker knew a thing or two about sundials on variously oriented planes… a unique find.

The slab is not very large. It measures 30cm x 36cm x 12cm (12 x 14 x 5 inches).

The patterns on the east face are still quite recognisable. There are two sundials on that face.
The upper one reads apparent solar time, the lower one antique, or unequal, hours. The latter also shows seven declination lines, corresponding with the zodiacal signs.
The remains of the lines on the other side suggest that the same patterns, but mirrored, were there.

There are numerous sundials, all reading apparent solar time, on the narrow rim of the slab.
Underneath are three cylindrically shaped polar dials, a south dial, a north dial, an equatorial dial, a polar north dial and a polar south dial.
On top is a bowl-shaped sundial of which the hour lines are hardly visible.
All these extra dials are not of high quality, but they do prove that the maker knew a thing or two about sundials.

The lines of the east dial are redrawn in the figure below.
Measurements on the actual lines show that this sundial was made for a latitude of 53.3 degrees, which is in good agreement with the site of the find.

The sundial is presently on display in the visitors' centre of the historical church on Frieslands highest mound, near the village of Hegebeintum.

Fer de Vries.
Finder of the sundial is Mr. Piet Boersma of Ferwerd.
See also Bulletin 02.3 and 03.1 of De Zonnewijzerkring, the Dutch Sundial Society.