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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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Islamic Law and Society

Edited by David S. Powers (Cornell University)

Journals


ISSN:	0928-9380
E-ISSN:	1568-5195

Current:	Volume 16 (2009)
Number of Issues:	4
List price Individuals:	€ 111.00 / US$ 163.00
List price Institutions:	€ 329.00 / US$ 484.00
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Editorial Board

Editorial Board: Baber Johansen (Harvard University, Cambridge, MA), Aharon Layish (The Hebrew University, Jerusalem), David S. Powers (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY) and Susan Spectorsky (Queens College, CUNY)

Abstracting & Indexing

Dietrich's Index Philosophicus Electronic Current Contents of Periodicals on the Middle East Index Islamicus Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals International Bibliography of Book Reviews of Scolarly Literature International Bibliography of the Social Sciences Internationale Bibliographie der Zeitschriftenliteratur aus allen Gebieten des Wissens/International Bibliography of Periodicals from all fields of Knowledge Periodicals Contents Index Political Science Abstracts Sociological Abstracts

Instructions for Author(s)

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Islamic Law and Society, Volume 14 (2007)

Islamic Law and Society, Volume 15 (2008)

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Islamic Law and Society provides a forum for research in the field of classical and modern Islamic law, in Muslim and non-Muslim countries. Celebrating its sixteenth birthday in 2009, Islamic Law and Society has established itself as an invaluable resource for the subject both in the private collections of scholars and practitioners as well as in the major research libraries of the world. Islamic Law and Society encourages discussion on all branches of Islamic law, with a view to promoting an understanding of Islamic law, in both theory and practice, from its emergence until modern times and from juridical, historical and social-scientific perspectives. Islamic Law and Society offers you an easy way to stay on top of your discipline. Islamic Law and Society publishes theme issues on an occasional basis. The following theme issues have been published: "Gender, Family, and the Courts in Muslim Societies" (1994) "Marriage, Divorce and Succession in the Muslim Family" (1995) "Ijtihād and Taqlid" (1996) "Social and Economic Aspects of Muslim Waqf" (1997) "The Islamic Inheritance System" (1998) "The Legal History of Ottoman Egypt" (1999) "Islamic Law in al-Andalus" (2000) "Hadith and Fiqh" (2001) "Evidence in Islamic Law" (2002) "Public Debates on Family Law Reform" (2003) "The Madhhab" (2003) "The Interaction between Islamic Law and non-Muslims" (2003) "Fatwas in Indonesia" (2005) "Customary Law in North Africa and the Arab East" (2006) "Shifting Perspectives in the Study of Shariʿa Courts" (2008) For back volumes older than 2 years, please contact William S. Hein & Co., Inc., 1285 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14209 orders@wshein.com / www.wshein.com or Periodicals Service Company, 11 Main Street, Germantown, NY 12526, USA psc@periodicals.com / www.periodicals.com/brill.html

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