Is it? Without a reference would you actually notice it?
You’d need some kind of long-running gravity clock you could be fairly confident in and then check it against the Sundial not as a timer but as a way to measure the Sun’s position.
You’d notice longer shadows, likely, and they did notice that at different times of the year the sun just wouldn’t cast shadows in certain places. But if I gave you a watch and slowed it down, especially in tiny increments, it would certainly be difficult to notice at first.
I’m responding to a comment about a sundial, not about the length of shadows, which to measure you don’t need a sundial.
It is crazy obvious if you try to make a sun dial
Is it? Without a reference would you actually notice it?
You’d need some kind of long-running gravity clock you could be fairly confident in and then check it against the Sundial not as a timer but as a way to measure the Sun’s position.
Yes if you had a sundial and put even marks around it you would definitely notice
Also people generally track the sun, our circadian rhythms are tied up to it. You notice even now when the days are shorter or longer without a clock
You’d notice longer shadows, likely, and they did notice that at different times of the year the sun just wouldn’t cast shadows in certain places. But if I gave you a watch and slowed it down, especially in tiny increments, it would certainly be difficult to notice at first.
I’m responding to a comment about a sundial, not about the length of shadows, which to measure you don’t need a sundial.
Normal people don’t try to make accurate sun dials. Only obsessive compulsive types would and they can’t help themselves from noticing.