This eleventh century Islamic astrolabe bears both Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions. It's one of the oldest examples ever discovered and one of only a handful known in the world.
The astronomical instrument was adapted, translated, and corrected for centuries by Muslim, Jewish, and Christian users in Spain, North Africa, and Italy.
Astrolabes were the world's first smartphone, a portable computer that could be put to hundreds of uses. They provided a portable two-dimensional model of the universe fitting in their user's hand, enabling them to calculate time and distances, plot the position of the stars, and even forecast the future by casting a horoscope.
Dr. Federica Gigante of Cambridge University made the discovery in a museum in Verona, Italy. She first came across a newly uploaded image of the astrolabe by chance on the website of the Fondazione Museo Miniscalchi-Erizzo. Intrigued, she asked them about it.
"The museum didn't know what it was and thought it might actually be fake," Dr. Gigante said. "It's now the single most important object in their collection."
"When I visited the museum and studied the astrolabe up close, I noticed that not only was it covered in beautifully engraved Arabic inscriptions but that I could see faint inscriptions in Hebrew... It was very exciting."
"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 Dr. Gigante.
"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."
The astrolabe is thought to have made its way into the collection of the Veronese nobleman Ludovico Moscardo (1611 - 81) before passing by marriage to the Miniscalchi family. In 1990, the family founded the Fondazione Museo Miniscalchi-Erizzo to preserve the collections.
"This object is Islamic, Jewish and European, they can't be separated," Dr. Gigante said.
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