Rare Astronomical Instrument From 11th Century Keeps Record of Scientific Exchange Between Arabs, Jews, Christians Over 100 Years

An ancient astronomical instrument holds so much information about astronomy's progress. The tool, rediscovered in a museum in Verona, is evidence of a powerful cross-cultural scientific collaboration.

Verona Astrolabe: An Incredibly Powerful Astronomy Tool

The brass astrolabe was initially created in Spain in the 11th century, but as time went on, several owners updated and modified it, leaving behind annotations and changes in other languages. As a result, the item is not just a unique relic but nearly one of a kind- a palimpsest that documents its users' shifting needs and beliefs as the environment and context shift.

"This isn't just an incredibly rare object. It's a powerful record of scientific exchange between Arabs, Jews, and Christians over hundreds of years," said historian Federica Gigante of the University of Cambridge.

"The Verona astrolabe underwent many modifications, additions, and adaptations as it changed hands. At least three separate users felt the need to add translations and corrections to this object, two using Hebrew and one using a Western language."

Gigante refers to the object as the "Verona Astrolabe" because it was found in the Fondazione Museo Miniscalchi-Erizzo collection in Verona. It was most likely acquired as a component of the holdings of the 17th-century Veronese aristocratic and art collector Ludovico Moscardo. Gigante contacted the museum to inquire further after seeing a recently uploaded image of the astrolabe on their website. Gigante specializes in early modern Islamic antiquities.

The museum was unsure of its authenticity and believed it to be a fake. According to the expert, it is currently the most significant item in their collection.

Upon closer inspection at the museum, Gigante observed that the astrolabe was covered in exquisitely etched Arabic lettering and had faint Hebrew markings.

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What Are The Remarkable Changes in the Instrument?

The object's engravings convey a wealth of cultural history. Some of the Arabic inscriptions include Muslim prayer names and lines; given that astrolabes are helpful for timing purposes, it is possible that at least one owner utilized the object for prayer.

"The work of Yūnus" and "for Isḥāq" are written in another Arabic inscription. According to Gigante, this writing was added after the astrolabe was manufactured. The two names in English are Jonas and Isaac, while it's unclear who Yūnus and Isḥāq might be or if Yūnus built the astrolabe.

There was a substantial Arabic-speaking Sephardic Jewish community in medieval Spain. This inscription may indicate that the astrolabe was also there for a while.

According to Gigante, the Hebrew inscriptions contain translations for astronomical stars, which is also highly significant.

These translations and additions in Hebrew imply that the object may have originally come from Spain or North Africa and spread among the Jewish diaspora in Italy, where, according to her, Hebrew was spoken in place of Arabic at the time.

At some point, someone finally wrote latitude adjustments in Western Arabic numerals, similar to the ones we use today, on both sides of the astrolabe, most likely for a speaker of Latin or Italian. However, some of the corrections seem to be incorrect.

Numerous artifacts that have come to us over the ages offer a wealth of untold stories. That also applies to the Verona astrolabe; few other artifacts can provide us with the window into its past that its engravings and scratches can. This astounding finding indicates years, if not centuries, of cross-cultural interaction and exchange.

"This object is Islamic, Jewish, and European, they can't be separated," she concluded.

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