Roman Portable Sundials: The Empire in your Hand by Richard J.A. Talbert (Englis

Description: Roman Portable Sundials by Richard J.A. Talbert Estimated delivery 3-12 business days Format Hardcover Condition Brand New Description Talbert investigates miniature sundials which can be adjusted for the owners whereabouts. They incorporate a list of locations and latitudes for ready reference, data that offers insight into Romans worldviews. To some perhaps, these sundials were primarily symbols of scientific awareness as well as imperial mastery of time and space. Publisher Description In an unscientific era when maps were rarities, how did ancient Romans envisage their far flung empire? This was done by various means for certain, including with the aid of an ingenious type of portable sundial that has barely attracted notice. As the Romans understood before the first century BCE, to track the passage of the sun across the sky hour-by-hour one needed to know ones latitude and the time of year, and that, furthermore, sundials did not have to befixed objects. These portable instruments, crafted in bronze, were adjustable for the changes of latitude to be expected on long journeys--say, for instance, from Britain to Spain, or from Alexandria toRome, or even on a Mediterranean tour. For convenient reference, these sundials incorporated lists of twenty to thirty names of cities or regions, each with its specific latitude. One of the insights of Roman Portable Sundials is that the choice of locations offers unique clues to the mental world-map and self-identity of individuals able to visualize Romes vast empire latitudinally. The sixteen such sundials known to date share common features but designers also vied tocreate enhancements. Comparison with modern calculations shows that often the latitudes listed are incorrect, in which case the sundial may not perform at its best. But then the nature of Romanstime-consciousness (or lack of it) must be taken into consideration. Richard Talbert suspects that owners might prize these sundials not so much for practical use but rather as prestige objects attesting to scientific awareness as well as imperial mastery of time and space. In retrospect, they may be seen as Roman precursors to comparable Islamic and European instruments from the Middle Ages onwards, and even to todays luxury watches which display eye-catching proof of their purchaserswealth, sophistication, and cosmopolitanism. Richly enhanced with detailed photographs, line drawings, maps, a gazetteer, and a table of latitudes and locations, Roman Portable Sundials brings theseoverlooked gadgets out of the shadows at last to reveal their hitherto untapped layers of meaning. Author Biography Richard Talbert is a Cambridge Classics graduate who taught in the United Kingdom and Canada before becoming Kenan Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he has established the Ancient World Mapping Center. His many books include The Senate of Imperial Rome, the collaborative Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, and Romes World: The Peutinger Map Reconsidered. Details ISBN 0190273488 ISBN-13 9780190273484 Title Roman Portable Sundials Author Richard J.A. Talbert Format Hardcover Year 2017 Pages 264 Publisher Oxford University Press Inc GE_Item_ID:142280751; About Us Grand Eagle Retail is the ideal place for all your shopping needs! With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and over 1,000,000 in stock items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! Shipping & Delivery Times Shipping is FREE to any address in USA. Please view eBay estimated delivery times at the top of the listing. Deliveries are made by either USPS or Courier. We are unable to deliver faster than stated. International deliveries will take 1-6 weeks. NOTE: We are unable to offer combined shipping for multiple items purchased. This is because our items are shipped from different locations. Returns If you wish to return an item, please consult our Returns Policy as below: Please contact Customer Services and request "Return Authorisation" before you send your item back to us. Unauthorised returns will not be accepted. Returns must be postmarked within 4 business days of authorisation and must be in resellable condition. Returns are shipped at the customer's risk. We cannot take responsibility for items which are lost or damaged in transit. For purchases where a shipping charge was paid, there will be no refund of the original shipping charge. Additional Questions If you have any questions please feel free to Contact Us. Categories Baby Books Electronics Fashion Games Health & Beauty Home, Garden & Pets Movies Music Sports & Outdoors Toys

Price: 119.55 USD

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End Time: 2025-01-15T03:49:15.000Z

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