Astrolabe
Penrhyndeudraeth
Contents
8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1Orientation3:14
Welcome to this scholarly exploration of one of the most ingenious inventions in human history: the astrolabe. We stand at a vantage point overlooking the rugged coast of Wales, a place where the vastness of the sea meets the…
Listen in the app2Hellenistic Origins and the Squashed Sphere3:16
The story of the astrolabe begins in the Hellenistic civilization, between the second and third centuries BCE. While its exact invention is often debated, scholars typically attribute the fundamental principles to astronomers…
Listen in the app3The Islamic Golden Age: Refinement and Religion3:15
While the astrolabe was born in Greece, it reached its zenith in the medieval Islamic world. Between the eighth and thirteenth centuries, Muslim astronomers transformed the device from a specialized scholarly tool into a…
Listen in the app4Anatomy of the Rete: Mapping the Stars3:13
The most visually striking part of the astrolabe is the 'rete' (pronounced 'ree-tee'), a Latin word meaning 'net.' This is the beautiful, intricate brass cutout that sits on the front of the instrument. The rete is effectively a…
Listen in the app5The Backside: Measurement and the Alidade3:09
If the front of the astrolabe is a model of the universe, the back is a sophisticated scientific workstation. When you turn the instrument over, you find a series of scales and a rotating bar called the 'alidade.' The alidade is…
Listen in the app6A Status Symbol: The Smartphone of the Elite3:24
Beyond its scientific utility, the astrolabe was the ultimate status symbol of the Middle Ages. Just as the latest smartphone today signals a certain level of wealth and technological savvy, carrying a brass astrolabe in the…
Listen in the app7Mastering the Calculation: A Step-by-Step Guide3:12
To truly understand the astrolabe, one must perform the dance of the calculation. Let us imagine we want to know the time on a sunny afternoon. …
Listen in the app8Closing2:13
Our scholarly journey through the world of the astrolabe concludes here. We have traced its origins from the 'squashed spheres' of Ptolemy to its refinement in the Islamic Golden Age and its status as the 'smartphone' of the…
Listen in the app
What is Astrolabe?
Astrolabe is a place in Penrhyndeudraeth with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Location | Penrhyndeudraeth |
|---|---|
| Type | Heritage |
| Story sections | 8 |
| Total length | 24 min 56 s in all |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 52.9132, -4.0994 |
| Last updated |