Eighteenth-Century Gujarat

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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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Publications & Services> Books> Book Series> Eighteenth-Century Gujarat

Eighteenth-Century Gujarat

The Dynamics of Its Political Economy, 1750-1800

Ghulam A. Nadri

Books

Available
Publication year: 2009


Series:	TANAP Monographs on the History of Asian-European Interaction, 11
ISBN-13 (i)The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) has been changed from 10 to 13 digits on 1 January 2007:	978 90 04 17202 9
ISBN-10:	90 04 17202 5

Cover:	Cloth with dustjacket
Number of pages:	xxiv, 244 pp.

List price:	€ 77.00 / US$ 114.00

Readership

All those interested in the social and economic history of early modern South Asia, Indian Ocean commerce, and South Asia's colonial transition in the eighteenth century.

About the author(s)

G. A. Nadri (1972) obtained his MA in History (1993) and M Phil. (1996) from Aligarh Muslim University and his PhD (2007) from Leiden University. He is Assistant Professor of History at Georgia State University, Atlanta. His main interests are the socio-economic history of early modern Gujarat/South Asia and the maritime trade of the Indian Ocean.

The eighteenth century in South Asian history is a period of great dynamism and a critical phase in the historical trajectory of the subcontinent. This book focuses on the merchants and manufacturers of Gujarat, who amidst complex political developments succeeded in preserving their autonomy and freedom in the market place. By spotting economic growth in the late eighteenth century, this study rejects the constructed dualism between a seventeenth century of great progress and an eighteenth century of chaos and decline.

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