These devices range from the simple shepherd's dial, like this Tibetan timestick, to the complex and sophisticated multi functional Nuremberg dials of the 16th and 17th centuries.

The earliest sundials, like Cleopatra's Needle, were upright obelisks, but in order to measure true solar time, the angle of a sundial's spike, or gnomon, must correspond with the angle of latitude.

Altitude sundials are dials which use the altitude of the sun to tell the time. This shepard's dial, or timestick, is one of the simplest and most widely used portable dials.  Although the shepherd's dial is not very accurate, it is easy to make and inexpensive.

The timestick is carved with eight vertical time scales each for a different period of the year, since the reading depends not only on the time of day but also on the latitude and time of year.

A peg gnomon is inserted at the top in the appropriate hole for the season of the year. When not in use this gnomon fits into a hole drilled down the centre of the stick at the top.