 This instrument is attributed to the 11th-century German monk Hermannus Contractus.The Saracinesco example is a large column of stainless steel, but normally these sun clocks are small and portable.The inhabitants are noted for their oriental features, with the male inhabitants "noted for swarthy good looks" and its females described as being "of fabled beauty for which the village was once famous," and were in demand in Rome as artists models at the turn of the 19th century due to their exotic dark looks.