International Organizations Law Review

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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> International Organizations Law Review

International Organizations Law Review

Editors-in-Chief: Niels M. Blokker and Ramses A. Wessel Managing Editor: James D. Fry

Journals


ISSN:	1572-3739
E-ISSN:	1572-3747

Current:	Volume 6 (2009)
Number of Issues:	2
List price Individuals:	€ 74.00 / US$ 109.00
List price Institutions:	€ 260.00 / US$ 382.00
List price institutions online only:	€ 234.00 / US$ 344.00

Editorial Board

Editorial Board Niels M. Blokker (Editor-in-Chief ) Ramses A. Wessel (Editor-in-chief ) James D. Fry (Managing Editor) Jan Klabbers (Book Review Editor) David Hutchinson: special UN correspondent Laurence Boisson de Chazournes Deborah Z. Cass Edward Kwakwa Sam Muller August Reinisch Dan Sarooshi Nigel D. White Advisory Board Chittharanjan F. Amerasinghe Armin von Bogdandy Ige F. Dekker Giorgio Gaja Vera Gowlland-Debbas Pierre Klein Pieter Jan Kuijper Philippe Sands Nico J. Schrijver Jan Wouters

Abstracting & Indexing

PAIS International (Public Affairs Information Service) Political Science Abstracts

Reviews

'Many lawyers in international organizations, in national administrations and in universities study these special legal issues rising in international organizations. Closer mutual contacts between them may help in finding solutions to existing and newly arising special problems. This justifies a special journal in which views can be exchanged. Hopefully, this new journal will be of help to many people thus involved.' Henry G. Schermers, International Organizations Law Review (2004).

Back Volumes

International Organizations Law Review, Volume 4 (2007)
Editors-in-Chief: Niels M. Blokker and Ramses A. Wessel

International Organizations Law Review, Volume 5 (2008)
Editors-in-Chief: Niels M. Blokker and Ramses A. Wessel

Go to Online Edition (new window)

After the Second World War in particular, the law of international organizations developed as a discipline within public international law. Separate, but not separable. The International Organizations Law Review purports to function as a discussion forum for academics and practitioners active in the field of the law of international organizations. It is based on two pillars; one is based in the world of scholarship, the other in the world of practice. In the first dimension, the Journal focuses on general developments in international institutional law. Its main interest lies in general, theoretical, issues rather than in the law of specific organizations. Contributions may deal with individual organizations, but the relevance of the subject to other international organizations or to the discipline of the law of international organizations must be clear. Most contributions will therefore focus on institutional rather than on substantive issues. Equally important, however, are the views from practice. The world of scholars and the world of practitioners largely function in separate settings. One is not always fully aware of developments taking place in the other. The Review aims to bridge this separation by creating a forum to identify and discuss legal developments within international organizations as observed by practitioners working for those organizations next to theoretical analyses of international institutional law. Both dimensions are to support and stimulate each other. Papers for consideration should be addressed to Professor Niels Blokker ( n.m.blokker@law.leidenuniv.nl ), or Professor Ramses Wessel ( r.a.wessel@utwente.nl ) 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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