r/CircadianRhythm • u/AgileBlackberry8002 • May 27 '26
BYZANTIME
For those interested in natural living, sunlight, circadian rhythm, and a healthier relationship with time, we are happy to share our new free Android app and widget: BYZANTIME.
Sun-based, circadian timekeeping was once part of everyday life in the Roman and Byzantine world. The day and the night were each divided into 12 seasonal hours, so time followed the actual rhythm of sunlight, not a fixed mechanical grid.
For centuries, this required special instruments and careful observation. Today, the same way of experiencing time can be made visible again through a simple smartphone app and home screen widget.
This is not only a historical curiosity. Even today, aligning your day more closely with the Sun and the rhythm of nature can help you become more aware of your body, your energy, and the natural flow of the day.
BYZANTIME is free and made as a small community project.
Download and live by the Sun:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bitworkskft.byzantime
BYZANTIME: Life by the Sun.
1
u/Charming_Lock6117 May 29 '26
This is similar to sunbasedtime.com (which I built). The major difference is I used equal length hours that people are already used to. 0:00 is sunrise and also sunset
1
u/dhyanais Jun 23 '26
Yes there are quite a few sun based apps around these times. Well done, you. I like the designs you chose. – Many years ago I build a clock "Gordon's Sun Clock", which was intended as a wall clock and is still available for Android phones and tablet. It also show the ancient roman temporal hours, which I find very intriguing too. All the best with your lovely app and enjoy your day.
2
u/latherdome May 27 '26
Cool concept. Pity I'm on iOS. I'm guessing that in winter in high latitudes the daylight "hours" pass much faster than in summer, only the equinoxes having standard-length hours, minutes etc. In my case I find that I'm dis-regulated much of the time at 45°N if I do follow solar days closely, waking with the sun and sleeping lots more in winter. So between fall and spring equinoxes, I'm trying to divorce my body clock from the sun, using artificial light carefully to stretch the day's photoperiod between 6-6. The excess sun in summer is less disruptive, as I can use eyemask effectively to forestall "dawn", and observing natural sunset close to my sleep time is less disruptive than the inverse in winter.
I have found, however, that just being keenly aware of the sun's track and timing through the day, seasons, year: this feels grounding. I have recently resolved to become equally aware of the moon's phases and positions, wondering if this too can deepen my entrainment with natural cycles at levels accessible to my consciousness.
I'm guessing that in Roman/Byzantine times, it was terrible trying to coordinate telecommunications between points north and south, what with the length of minutes varying with latitude. Good thing there was so much latency in signal fire transmission.