8 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Rare Astrolabe Discovered in Verona Sheds Light On Islamic, Jewish, and Christian Scientific Exchange

An eleventh-century rare astrolabe bearing Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions was recently discovered in a museum in Verona, Italy. It dates from the 1100s, making it one of the oldest astrolabes ever discovered.

The discovery of ancient astronomical tool bearing Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions has unveiled a rich tapestry of scientific exchange among Arabs, Jews, and Christians during medieval times.

Its history tells a fascinating story of centuries-long adaptation, translation, and revision by Muslim, Jewish, and Christian scholars in Spain, North Africa, and Italy.

Astrolabes are early scientific calculators that could measure time, distances, and the position of stars, and even make horoscopes predicting the future. They are pocket-sized maps of the universe that enable users to plot the position of the stars.

Dr Federica Gigante, from Cambridge’s History Faculty and Christ’s College, made the discoveries in a museum in Verona, Italy, and just published her study in the journal Nuncius.

“The museum didn’t know what it was and thought it might actually be fake. It’s now the single most important object in their collection,” said Dr. Federica Gigante.

Detail of the astrolabe of Verona. Photo: Federica Gigante / University of Cambridge
Detail of the astrolabe of Verona. Photo: Federica Gigante / University of Cambridge

Dr Gigante first came across a newly-uploaded image of the astrolabe by chance on the website of the Fondazione Museo Miniscalchi-Erizzo. The 1,000-year-old astrolabe was identified by complete chance.

“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. I could only make them out in the raking light entering from a window. I thought I might be dreaming, but I kept seeing more and more. 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.”

She deduced that it was initially created in 1100s Muslim-ruled Spain by looking at its unique features and inscriptions. The latitudes of the inscriptions correspond to cities in Spain, such as Toledo and Cordoba.

Detail of the Verona astrolabe with inscriptions in Hebrew, Arabic, and Western numerals. Photo: Federica Gigante / University of Cambridge
Detail of the Verona astrolabe with inscriptions in Hebrew, Arabic, and Western numerals. Photo: Federica Gigante / University of Cambridge

Dr. Gigante believes the astrolabe was possibly made in Toledo, which back then was an important center where Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived, studied, and worked side-by-side.

Subsequent owners of the astrolabe added Hebrew inscriptions, rendering Hebrew names for zodiac signs and other terms. This means that the astrolabe probably made its way to Italy at some point, where the local Jews had stopped speaking Arabic.  However, the Hebrew additions contain an error about latitude, indicating that they were not written by an astrolabe expert.

In the Roman numerals that we still use today, some numbers were also very faintly inscribed. According to Dr. Gigante, these were even later additions made by Verona residents who spoke Latin or Italian. Interestingly, some of their “corrections” were actually incorrect, demonstrating that the original Arabic values were more accurate.

This finding underscores the significance of cross-cultural cooperation in advancing science and deepens our understanding of past scientific practices.

University of Cambridge

Cover Photo: The astrolabe of Verona. Photo: Federica Gigante / University of Cambridge

Related Articles

The unknown importance of Göllü Dağ on the route of the first humans’ Transition from Africa to Europe

4 October 2021

4 October 2021

The researches conducted in Göllü Dağ and its surroundings, located within the borders of Niğde province in Central Anatolia, and...

Fossil of a hominid child who died almost 250,000 years ago discovered in South Africa

8 November 2021

8 November 2021

A team of international and South African researchers uncovered the fossil remains of an early hominid kid who died almost...

In Peru, Archaeologists Discovered an Ancient Dance Floor that can Imitate Rumbling of Thunder

21 July 2023

21 July 2023

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient “sounding” dance floor in Peru that was designed to create a drum-like sound when stepped...

Archaeologists Uncovered a 1,600-Year-Old Rare Mikveh and Synagogue in Ostia Antica, Near Rome

13 March 2025

13 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery, researchers have unearthed a 1,600-year-old rare mikveh (ritual bath) and an ancient synagogue at the...

According to researchers, the bones discovered underneath St. Peter’s Basilica may not be his

5 June 2021

5 June 2021

Three Italian researchers have voiced doubts about whether St. Peter’s bones are buried underneath the Rome basilica that bears his...

Archaeologists have found an intriguing Iron Age “shrine” in the Yorkshire Wolds

19 September 2021

19 September 2021

Archaeologists have discovered an interesting ancient Iron Age “shrine” in the Yorkshire Wolds, which was marked out by meticulously placed...

490-Million-Year-Old Trilobites Could Solve Ancient Geography Puzzle

22 November 2023

22 November 2023

The humble trilobites may be extinct, but even as fossils, they can teach us much about our planet’s history. Indeed,...

4,400 Years Old Shaman Snake Staff Found in Finland

29 June 2021

29 June 2021

A very well-preserved 4,400-year-old Shaman Snake Staff made of wood has been found in Finland. The “Snake Staff” found is...

The oldest trace of human activity discovered in North America dates back 23,000 years

26 September 2021

26 September 2021

A recent fossil footprint found in New Mexico, the United States, indicates that humans existed in North America about 23,000...

On the beach of Herculaneum, a victim of the Vesuvius explosion was discovered with his bag

4 December 2021

4 December 2021

Archaeologists released haunting images Wednesday of the skeletal remains of a man buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in...

Radar Detects Long-lost River in Egypt and Could Explain How The Pyramids Were Built

22 May 2024

22 May 2024

More than 30 pyramids in Egypt are located in an unremarkable strip of barren desert far from the shores of...

New Research Links Climate Crisis to the Fall of the Roman Empire

11 April 2025

11 April 2025

A study led by scientists at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with Queen’s University Canada and the Chinese Academy...

Network analysis of prehistoric relationships using raw archaeological finds and AI

24 July 2023

24 July 2023

A project of the Cluster of Excellence ROOTS uses archaeological raw material finds for network analyses from the Middle Stone...

Bom Jesus: The Oldest and Most Valuable Shipwreck Found in the Namibian Desert

20 March 2025

20 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological discovery, the Bom Jesus (The Good Jesus), a Portuguese ship that sank over 500 years ago,...

The Mysterious Horsemen of Pir Panjal: Secrets of an Ancient Legacy in Jammu and Kashmir

24 April 2025

24 April 2025

Deep within the rugged Pir Panjal range in Jammu and Kashmir, India, lies a captivating mystery known as the Mysterious...