Africa: Selected Documents on Constitutive, Conflict and Security, Humanitarian, and Judicial Issues

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The Astrolabe

An ancient instrument for solving problems of location and distance, as well as time

Astrolábon órganon is the word used in Ptolemaeus Syntaxis 5.1 to describe a form of armillary sphere consisting of both fixed and rotating rings for determining the ecliptic co-ordinates of stars. Also called astrolabe were two-dimensional representations of the celestial sphere: over fixed disks with a representation of the horizon of the earth (in each case for a specific geographic latitude) and its parallels up to the zenith lies a rotating representation of the heavens (called ‘spider’ or ‘net’) with zodiac and indicators for some of the brightest stars. On the back is an indicator (‘alidade’) with visor plates for calculating the height of the stars. The astrolabe allows its user to determine the hours of day and night, the positions of stars, and the height and depth of objects on earth (mountains, buildings, wells). The oldest extant descriptions of the flat, planispheric astrolabe come from Iohannes Philoponus, 6th century AD, and (in Syrian) from Severus Sebokht, c. 660 AD. Indirect references may date back as early as Theon (4th cent.). Between the 8th and the 9th centuries the Arabs appropriated the knowledge of the astrolabe. At the end of the 10th century and again in the 12th century, they passed it on to Western Europe, where astrolabes were constructed up until the 17th cent. Today, one Byzantine astrolabe (from 1062) is extant, as are some 750 Arabic-Islamic astrolabes and approximately the same number of European astrolabes.

This information is abstracted from Brill's New Pauly, the English edition of the authoritative Der Neue Pauly, Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. The encyclopaedic coverage and high academic standard of the work, the interdisciplinary and contemporary approach and clear and accessible presentation have made the New Pauly the unrivalled modern reference work for the ancient world. For more information see www.brillsnewpauly.com or visit our website catalog: www.brill.nl/bnp
Brill’s New Pauly and the complete original Der Neue Pauly, the recognized standard reference works for students and scholars of the ancient world are also available online. This dual-language edition offers basic and advanced search facilities and is fully browsable. New English translations are added as they become available. See www.paulyonline.brill.nl for more information and a demo version.

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Africa: Selected Documents on Constitutive, Conflict and Security, Humanitarian, and Judicial Issues

Edited by Jeremy I. Levitt

Books

Available
Publication year: 2003


ISBN-13 (i)The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) has been changed from 10 to 13 digits on 1 January 2007:	978 15 71 05296 4
ISBN-10:	15 71 05296 8

Cover:	Hardback
Number of pages:	450 pp.
Google Book Search:	View this book at Google Book Search

List price:	€ 130.00 / US$ 156.00

Table of contents

Foreword by Henry J. Richardson III
I. CONTSTITUTIVE
1. Charter of the United Nations (San Francisco, United States, June 26, 1945)
2. The Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) (Lom, Togo, June 11, 2000)
3. Charter of the Organization of African Unity (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, May 25, 1963)
4. Revised Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (Contonou, Benin Republic, July 24, 1993)
5. Treaty of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) (Windhoek, Namibia, August 17,1992)
6. Agreement Establishing the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) (Nairobi, Kenya, March 21, 1996)
I. CONFLICT & SECURITY
A. The African Union (AU) and Organization of African Unity (OAU)
1. Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (Durban, South Africa, July 9, 2002)
2. OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism (Algiers, Algeria, July 14, 1999)
3. African Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty) (Cairo, Egypt, April 11, 1996)
4. Declaration of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government on the Establishment within the OAU of a Mechanism for Conflict (Cairo, Egypt, June 30,1993)
5. Draft Kampala Document for a Proposed Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation in Africa (CSSDCA) (Kampala, Uganda, May 23, 1991)
6. OAU Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa (Libreville, Gabon, July 3, 1977)
B. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
1. Protocol Establishing the ECOWAS Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution, Peace-Keeping, and Security (Lom, Togo, December 10, 1999)
2. Framework Establishing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security (Abuja, Nigeria, October 31, 1998)
C. Southern African Development Community (SADC)
1. Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Politics, Defense, and Security Cooperation (Blantyre, Malawi, August 14, 2001, not yet in force)
2. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ for Politics, Defense and Security (Gaborone, Botswana, June 28, 1996)
D. Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
1. IGAD Protocol on the Establishment of A Conflict Early Warning Mechanism (Khartoum, Sudan, January 11, 2002)
I. HUMANITARIAN ISSUES
1. African [Banjul] Charter on Human and People's Rights (Banjul, Gambia, June 27, 1986)

Reviews

'In the field of international law, Africa is as unknown in other continents today as it was geographically to Europe in the 18th century. Yet, actions taken by ECOWAS, SADC and the creation of the AU and other developments should put Africa at the forefront of the international legal map. In this seminal work, Jeremy Levitt should be recognized as one of the great contemporary explorers. The book will serve as a guide to policy-makers, scholars and students alike.'

Yorum Dinstein, Professor

Naval War College


This comprehensive volume provides a ready reference to often hard-to-find documents and statutes for scholars, researchers, and policy makers working on issues involving the people and nations of Africa. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

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