A stunning 1,000-year-old artifact has been unearthed at the Fondazione Museo Miniscalchi-Erizzo in Verona, Italy by Federica Gigante, a historian from the University of Cambridge. It won’t connect to Wi-Fi or scroll through social media, but researchers are calling it the first ‘smartphone’ of its time—and for good reason.
This ingenious medieval device, an astronomical instrument from 11th-century Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain), had multiple high-tech-for-the-time functions. It allowed users to pinpoint the position and height of up to 850 stars, making it an essential tool for astronomers and travelers alike. But it wasn’t just for stargazing—Muslims also relied on it to determine the direction of Mecca, helping them align their prayers. Who needs GPS when you have medieval innovation?
A Multicultural Gadget Ahead of Its Time
This ancient device isn’t just a marvel of medieval engineering—it’s also a testament to the cross-cultural exchange of knowledge. The Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions carved into it tell a bigger story—one of collaboration between Arab, Jewish, and Christian scholars.
Believe it or not, this incredible discovery started with a casual scroll through a museum website. Historian Federica Gigante came across the artifact online and decided to dig deeper. But when she reached out to the Fondazione Museo Miniscalchi-Erizzo, she got an unexpected response—they had no idea what it was.
“The museum didn’t even know what they had,” Dr. Gigante explained. “Now, it’s the most important object in their entire collection.”
Her excitement only grew when she finally got to see the astrolabe in person. “At first, I was captivated by the beautiful Arabic engravings. But then, as I examined it in the shifting light from a nearby window, I noticed something else—faint Hebrew inscriptions hidden beneath the surface. I thought I was imagining things, but the more I looked, the more I found. It was an incredible moment.”
The History of Astrolabe
If you know someone who’s passionate about sailing and navigation, chances are you’ve seen a version of this gadget in their home. Much like today’s smartphones, the astrolabe was born during an era of economic growth—likely at the peak of the Roman Empire—and remained a must-have gadget all the way into the 18th century.
While it may not have had apps or touchscreens, this mix of science and mysticism paved the way for modern analog devices like slide rules and high-end Swiss watches.
The word astrolabe roughly translates to “star-taker” in Greek, which makes sense given its celestial tracking abilities. By the 8th century, this tool had made its way from Europe into the Islamic world, where scholars continued to refine and improve it.
Depending on where and when it was made, astrolabes came in all shapes and sizes. Some were small enough to fit in your palm, while others were as big as a trash can lid. They could be crafted from wood, brass, or other materials.
The Medieval Multipurpose Tool That Did It All
At first glance, an astrolabe might look like a decorative piece of metalwork, but it was actually a powerful multi-purpose tool—a bit like a medieval Swiss Army knife for astronomers.
At its core was the mater, a circular base that housed all the moving parts. Inside it sat a flat plate with a two-dimensional projection of Earth’s latitudinal lines, helping users orient themselves to the stars.Layered on top was the rete, a finely crafted rotating map of the sky, pinpointing the locations of well-known stars. Over that, a pivoting straight rule helped line up measurements with the time markings etched along the outer rim of the mater.
Flip the whole thing over, and you’d find a movable sighting device on the back—used to calculate the altitude of a star, often the first step in determining time, location, or even the direction of Mecca. It may not have fit in your pocket, but for medieval scholars, this was as close as you could get to a high-tech gadget.
