Greifswald 2024 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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GP: Fachverband Geschichte der Physik

GP 7: Instruments and Exhibitions

GP 7.4: Vortrag

Mittwoch, 28. Februar 2024, 15:30–16:00, ELP 3: HS 2.33

Two Astrolabic Quadrants from 14th Century Damascus and 17th Century London — •Enes Tepe — Europa Universität Flensburg. Institute for Physics, its Didactics and its History. Auf dem Campus 1, 24943 Flensburg, Germany

In the previous (virtual) history of physics DPG conference in Heidelberg, I presented my study about different portable quadrant traditions in the Islamic World and the Western Europe. One of the conclusions of that study was that the astrolabic quadrants from astronomers and instrument-makers of Mamluk and Stuart dynasties can be considered among the most well-founded timekeeping instruments of their respective cultures. In my PhD project, I am researching the practices with two astrolabic quadrants from these periods according to the replication method. One of the instruments is an almucantars / trigonometric quadrant that was made by Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mizzi in 1329, Damascus, and now exhibited in David Collection, Copenhagen. The other one is a large quadrant of inverse projection that was made by Henry Sutton in 1658, London, and now kept in the History of Science Museum, Oxford. At the current phase of the project, I am reconstructing these two instruments with the necessary adaptations to 2024 and Flensburg in order to be able to analyze the practices based on their re-enactments. In this talk, I am going to introduce the two astrolabic quadrants and make a comparison of their general features.

Keywords: Portable Quadrants; History of Astronomy and Timekeeping; Astrolabes; Early Modern England; Mamluk Dynasty