Archaeologists from Italy 11th A rare Islamic astronomical instrument of the 17th century with inscriptions in both Arabic and Hebrew has been discovered, one of the oldest such instruments.
This astrolabe, used to make astronomical measurements, was identified in Italy and is one of the few such instruments in the world.
According to the researchers, this is ‘strong evidence’ of scientific exchange between Arabs, Jews and Christians over hundreds of years.
The device was identified in a museum in Verona, Italy by Dr Federica Gigante of the University of Cambridge’s history faculty who says it is now the single most important artefact in the museum.
Astrolabs were the world’s first pocket-sized computers that provided a portable two-dimensional model of the universe that fit in the user’s hand, allowing them to calculate time, distance, and position the stars.
Dr. Federica Gigante said, “When I visited the museum and studied the astrolabe closely, I saw that not only was it beautifully inscribed with Arabic inscriptions, but it also had writing in Hebrew.”
Close-up of the Verona Astrolabe with Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions (Dr. Federica Gigante)
According to him: ‘I could see them with the help of the light coming in from the window. I thought I was dreaming but I kept watching it, it was so interesting.
Dr Federica Gigante has traced the date of creation and location of the ‘Verona Astrolabe’ by analyzing its design, texture, calligraphy and scientific features.
They found that the engraving on the tool dates back to Andalusia (the Muslim period in Spain).
The arrangement of the scale on the back of this instrument showed that it matches the instruments made in the 11th century in Andalusia, the Muslim period of Spain.
Based on the inscriptions found on the tool, Dr. Gigante suspects that it was made in Tallitla (an ancient Andalusian city) at a time when the city was a thriving center of coexistence and cultural exchange between Muslims, Jews, and Christians.
The astrolabes also bear the names and lines of prayers, possibly indicating that their users used them to know the times of the five daily prayers.
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It also included Hebrew names whose translation suggests that they had reached beyond Andalusia or North Africa, and was also used by Jews in Italy where Arabic was not understood but Hebrew was used.
There were also Hebrew translations of Arabic names for astrological signs, including Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces, and Aries.
The Verona astrolabe has a perforated disc representing a map of the heavens and is one of the earliest discs made in Andalusia.
The instrument is similar to the only found Byzantine astrolabe, built in 1062 AD, as well as the earliest European astrolabes modeled on Islamic Spain.
Further analysis of this device has revealed that it could have been used to measure time and determine the position of the sky during this period.
By doing so, the researchers calculated that its disks were placed in a position that would allow them to calculate where the stars were in the sky at the end of the 11th century.
Dr. Federica Gigante said that the device is Islamic, Jewish and European, they cannot be separated.
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