Thank you for downloading this episode of A History of the World in 100 Objects from BBC Radio 4.
I've got the whole world in my hands.
In fact, not just the world, but the cosmos.
What I am holding is a portable model of the heavens
in the shape of an exquisite circular brass instrument
that looks a bit like a large brass pocket watch
and it's called an astrolabe.
With an astrolabe in my hands, I can tell the time,
do a bit of surveying, work out my position in the world
by sun or stars, and if that's not enough,
I can also devise my horoscope.
Although perfectly familiar to the ancient Greeks,
this was an instrument that was particularly important for the Islamic world
as it allowed the faithful to find the direction of Mecca.
And so it's not surprising that the oldest astrolabe to survive
is an Islamic one from the 10th century.
But the astrolabe I'm holding is in fact a Jewish one.
It was made about 750 years ago in Spain.
It's inscribed in Hebrew lettering but it contains Arabic and Spanish words
and it combines both Islamic and European decorative elements.