Astrolabes in Medieval Jewish Society

Astrolabes are without doubt the most sophisticated instruments ever devised before the invention of the computer. The theory for their construction was first discussed in ancient Greece, probably as early as the 2nd century BCE. The instrument was constantly developed and adapted to the changing needs of the owners. This adaptability, combined with its sheer aesthetic beauty, its relatively easy use, combined with the multitude of functions that it could perform, meant that it remained in universal use until at least the 17th century.

An astrolabe enables the user to carry out a multitude of tasks - from determining the time of day or night and the prediction of sunrise and sunset through the determination of prayer time or local latitude to surveying and astrological predictions - the possibilities are virtually endless. It is not surprising, therefore, that this instrument has acquired a meaning that goes far beyond its practical use. Astrolabes can symbolize the owner's wealth and his profound understanding of the universe - as well as an often hazy idea of divination and magic. As such, astrolabes can be found in Western European, Islamic and Jewish cultures and in media from manuscript-illuminations to Harry Potter movies, where their presence in Professor Dumbledore's study encapsulate the arcane knowledge of the owner.

This instrument embodies perfectly the peaceful exchange of knowledge and ideas between Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars in the Middle Ages. Ancient Greek astronomical and mathematical texts were translated, discussed and commented upon. Instruments based on these texts were made and ideas taken across Europe and the Middle East by traveling scholars. The use of Arabic numerals and many words in modern European languages, which still reveal their Arabic origin (such as algebra, algorithm etc.) originated at this time. And due to its versatility the astrolabe appears consistently in these discussions.

In recent years, texts and instruments both from the Christian West and the Islamic East have been researched and the varying role that the astrolabe played in these societies over the centuries have been discussed in detail. Surprisingly, however, there has so far been no study of Hebrew texts dealing with the astrolabe, nor has there been a comprehensive examination of the surviving instruments. Thus the important role that Jewish scholars played in the transfer of knowledge between the classical, medieval and early modern ages, between the Islamic world and Christian Europe has not received the attention it deserves. Consequently, it remains virtually unknown that Jewish scholars developed a completely new terminology in their attempts to understand the Arabic treatises and that the same scholars undertook observations with the astrolabe - a phenomenon unparalleled in Christian Europe until the mid-13th century. More importantly, the role that the astrolabe played within Jewish communities has hardly been explored.

The research project 'Astrolabes in Medieval Jewish Society' will for the first time explore the role that astrolabes played in Jewish communities by examining in detail the earliest surviving Hebrew treatises on the astrolabe by authors such as Abraham bar Hiyya (1070-1136) and Abraham ibn Ezra (1092/93-1167) as well as all the surviving instruments, both those made of brass and those made of paper. The results of the investigations will be published together with a critical edition and translation of the most relevant passages and a 'catalogue raisonné' of the instruments. Aspects of the study will be made accessible on a website and communicated to a wider audience via a BBC Radio Series and a public study day.

The project is a collaboration between a reasearcher from a HEI and another from a major international Museum, both supported by a post-doctoral researcher, to carry out original research that will result directly in a major publication which will be supported by a public study day, gallery talks and web resources.

The following have been identified as the key beneficiaries of this research, but there will be others:

1. A diverse and interdisciplinary academic audience will be reached via the monograph and catalogue. Historians of European and Jewish History will gain new insight into the transfer of knowledge from the Classical and Islamic Worlds in the Middle Ages and in particular the role of Jewish scholars, which is not at all well researched. Historians of Science will benefit from the research done on the construction and use of the instruments and the impact these instruments had for the advance of science in Jewish communities. Social Historians will gain an insight into the way the new knowledge affected Jewish communities that lived within Muslim or Christian societies.

2. Different public audiences will benefit from the updated displays at the British Museum and other institutions that have similar holdings of instruments. The results of the research will be made accessible via a public study day and gallery talks, thus enabling audiences of diverse social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds to gain a deeper insight into the migration of ideas and the peaceful collaboration between members of the three book religions. The research will also feature in a major radio series jointly porduced by the British Museum and the BBC.

3. The Museum community will benefit from sharing in the results of the investigation that will enable individual curators to update records of their own holdings, to identify new instruments and to put their objects into a wider cultural context.

4. The post-doctoral researcher will benefit by gaining experience of using manuscripts, editing texts, and handling astrolabes, as well as the addditional dimension of making her research available to wider audiences.