An ancient “smartphone” reveals how cultures used to interact

A rare 11th-century artifact called an astrolabe, which remained hidden in an Italian museum’s archives for decades, is making waves in the archaeological community following its recent chance discovery by historian Federica Gigante.

An astrolabe is a multi-purpose instrument dating back to the ancient Greeks that essentially represents a two-dimensional projection of the three-dimensional sky, serving as a star chart and physical model of the Sun, Moon, planets, and other visible celestial bodies. They’re often referred to by modern historians as the “smartphones of the ancient world,” due to their usefulness across a wide variety of functions.

• A 10th-century astronomer deduced there were ~1,000 total astrolabe applications, including seasonal and daily time-keeping, navigation aids, an inclinometer, and an analog calculation device.

What’s so special about this astrolabe? The 11th-century artifact is especially notable for its signs of collaboration between Jewish, Muslim, and Christian scientists, marking one of the oldest known examples of dual linguistic tools.

The astrolabe’s engravings – first in Arabic, then in Hebrew – tell the story of how knowledge was added to the instrument over the years by scholars from all three religions, who lived and worked side by side in the Iberian peninsula during that period. “It’s a bit like adding an app to a smart phone or running an update,” said Gigante, a research associate at Cambridge University’s history department.

🤝 Bottom line: Even though it happened ~1,000 years ago, it’s encouraging to see that people of different cultures and beliefs can actually work together.