What is a sundial?

A sundial is the earliest type of timekeeping device. It indicates the time of day by
the position of the shadow of some object exposed to the sun’s rays. 

History of the sundial

Before clocks were invented, sundials were the only way to tell the time! When
the first clocks were created, sundials were still important because early clocks
were not accurate, so they had to be reset regularly using sundials as a
reference.

The ancient Egyptians made the earliest known sundial in about 3500bce. This
sundial was simply a stick or a pillar that cast a shadow on the ground.  Muslims
later invented the modern sundial—the type with the angled gnomon. 

What is a sundial made of?

The flat surface of a sundial is called a dial plate. It may be made of metal, wood,
stone, or other materials. Numbered lines on the dial plate, called hour lines,
show the hours of the day.

Types of sundials:
Sundials are classified into a number of different types, mainly by the plane in
which the dial lies, as follows:
 horizontal dials
 vertical dials
 equatorial dials
 portable dials

How does sundial work?

To understand how a sundial works, we have to understand how the Sun casts
shadows. When the Earth rotates on its axis, the Sun moves across the sky,
causing objects to cast shadows. So, how does a sundial work? As the Sun
changes relative positions in the sky over the day, the position of the shadow
cast by the gnomon changes to align with the different times around the outside
of the circular plate. This way you can tell the time by looking at where the
shadow is cast, using the markings around the edge of the sundial base.
World's oldest sundial, from Egypt's Valley of the Kings (c. 1500 BC)

Horizontal sundial

Portable sundial
Vertical sundials

Equatorial sundial