Sundial found that gave Roman central time

Archaeologists have found the remains of a giant sundial in the center of Rome which provided the ancient Romans not only the time but also the day and month of the year. The sundial, about 200 feet long, is believed to have been built in AD 200.

The discovery was made Tuesday by Prof. Edmund Bucher, head of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome, while he was searching for the famous sundial of Emperor Augustus. His team unearthed the sundial from a shaft when it dug through 12 layers of ruins under the courtyard of a medieval palace at Campo Marzio, where Roman legions once were stationed.