070 Hebrew Astrolabe

This is an astrolabe—an instrument that can be used to determine the time during the day, with the help of the sun, or at night with the help of the stars. Instruments like this brass example were popular in the medieval period, but they were based on mathematical and scientific knowledge first understood by the ancient Greeks. They were then developed by scholars in the Islamic world, and by the medieval period they were also made and used across Europe.

This particular astrolabe was made in Spain, at a time when the southern part of the country was under Islamic rule. However, it would seem that this object was made for a Jewish scholar, because if you look very closely, around the outside you’ll see that all the text and numbers on this astrolabe are written in Hebrew, not in Arabic.

Scientific instruments with Hebrew markings are extremely rare and only a few are known to have survived. Even more excitingly, research has shown that although some of the markings on this astrolabe are in the Arabic language, even though they are in Hebrew lettering. It’s an indication to us that the instrument was made in a Jewish community that lived within Arabic society.

So, this little object embodies the peaceful exchange of knowledge and ideas between Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars across medieval Europe, particularly in Spain, as well as revealing how they revitalised science and astronomy first developed in Classical Greece and Rome.