26/11/2025
AMAZING FACTS ABOUT TARRAGONA’S ANCIENT SUNDIAL
Before clocks and watches, Romans used this — a sundial.
This ancient stone in Tarragona tells the time using nothing but the sun’s shadow.
The triangle in the center is called a gnomon, and it has to be perfectly aligned with Earth’s tilt to work.
No gears, no batteries, no noise — just physics and sunlight.
And the crazy part?
Even after thousands of years… it still works.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE TARRAGONA SUNDIAL
1. Sundials were the first “public clocks.”
Long before mechanical clocks and watches existed, Romans used sundials to tell the time using the sun’s shadow.
2. Tarragona’s sundials connect to its Roman past.
Tarragona (ancient Tarraco) was a major Roman capital, so sundials were common in temples, forums, and public squares.
3. It works without gears, batteries, or metal — just sunlight.
The small triangular piece in the middle is called a gnomon.
Its shadow moves across the engraved lines to show the hour.
4. The whole sundial is aligned with the Earth.
The gnomon must point toward true north and match the angle of the Earth’s tilt.
If it’s off even a little, the time becomes inaccurate.
5. Romans used sundials for more than time.
They used them for:
• tracking seasons
• knowing when to pray
• scheduling markets and public events
• agricultural planning
6. Catalonia has some of the best-preserved sundials in Spain.
Tarragona and nearby towns still keep many stone sundials as historical heritage.
7. This sundial can still tell accurate time today.
Even after centuries, as long as there is sunlight, it still works — no repairs needed.
So why this matters? Because touching something this old makes you realize:
Time didn’t start with us…
and it won’t end with us.
We’re just passing through —
so make your hours count.
