Exercise of Arms

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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> Exercise of Arms

Exercise of Arms

Warfare in the Netherlands, 1568-1648

Edited by Marco van der Hoeven

Books

Available
Publication year: 1997


Series:	History of Warfare, 1
ISBN-13 (i)The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) has been changed from 10 to 13 digits on 1 January 2007:	978 90 04 10727 4
ISBN-10:	90 04 10727 4

Cover:	Cloth with dustjacket
Number of pages:	xi, 235 pp. 42 illus., 1 map

List price:	€ 62.00 / US$ 92.00

Table of contents

'Foreword' - Geoffrey Parker
'Introduction' - M. van der Hoeven
'Experience and Experiment: some reflections upon the military developments in 16th- and 17th-century Western Europe' - J.A. de Moor
'The Eighty Years War' - H.L. Zwitzer
'The day the nation was born. The Battle of Heiligerlee, 1568 - L.L. Doedens
'Victory at Nieuwpoort, 2 July 1600 - J.P. Puype
'Maurits van Nassau and siege warfare, 1590-1597' - O. van Nimwegen
'Dutch public finance during the Eighty Years War: the case of the Privince of Zeeland: the case of the province of Zeeland, 1585-1621' - M.G.A. de Jong
'Foundation, organization and effects of the Dutch Navy, 1568-1648' - A.P. van Vliet
'For freedom and fortune. The rise of the Dutch privateering in the first half of the Dutch Revolt, 1568-1609' - I.J. van Loo
'Arms production and exports in the Dutch Republic, 1600-1650:' - H.P. Vogel
'The 'waardgelders' of Den Haag' - F.P. Wagenaar

Readership

All those interested in military history, and the history of the Dutch Republic, including its economical aspects.

About the author(s)

Marco van der Hoeven (1970) studied history at Leiden University, and worked in the National Army Museum as assistent-curator. He is manager of a battlefield tour-agency. He has published several books and articles on Dutch military history.

The great European conflict known as the Thirty Years War was only the final phase of a war in the Netherlands which was to last 80 years. In the course of this the Dutch rose up successfully against their Spanish rulers and established a Republic in the early 16th century which was the envy of its contemporaries. This volume brings together papers by 11 leading military historians from the Netherlands who discuss the processes by which the Dutch organised and financed the military apparatus which was eventually to defeat the leading land and maritime power of their day, and to maintain the position of Holland as a world power until well into the 18th century. Articles cover military matters such as changes in strategy and tactics and issues such as the financing of the war, effort, the navy, privateering and the arms trade.

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