Exhibition: The Astrolabe, East and West


One millennium later

Apart from modern instruments made for antiquarian or educational purposes, this is the latest astrolabe in the Oxford collection. Made in the late nineteenth century in North Africa, it completes a thousand years of astrolabes, a remarkable span for a working astronomical instrument. The back of the rete is stamped with the word 'PATENT' in a nineteenth-century style of lettering, showing that it has been made from a recycled piece of brass.
Closeup of Astrolabe, North African, late 19th century (Inv. 47714) Astrolabe, North African, late 19th century (Inv. 47714)
Astrolabe, North African, late 19th century (Inv. 47714)
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