![]() It is 7 inches thick (15 cm), weighs some 350 grams and its outer case is somewhat corroded. The astrolabe is distinctive as it is a “transitional instrument between the classic planispheric astrolabe and the open-wheel type astrolabe that came into use sometime before 1517” according to. However, there are no other marks on the disk that could have dated it. The astrolabe is marked with the Portuguese Royal Coat of Arms and also has the personal insignia of King Manuel I (1469-1521) who played a very important role in the Age of Discovery and the establishment of the Portuguese Empire. ( Oman’s Ministry of Heritage & Culture (MHC) and Blue Water Recoveries Ltd ) The bronze ship’s bell has now been confirmed the World’s oldest. Mears and his team also recovered over 1000 items from the site of the wreck, including a bell which was forged in 1498, meaning that it is the oldest example of a ship’s bell in the world. The Esmerelda was commanded by the uncle of De Gama - Vicente Sodré after whom the device is named. This vessel was part of the second armada of Vasco De Gama (1502-3) a punitive expedition to India, and it sank during a storm. The discovery of the instrument was made near the wreck of the Esmerelda which sunk in 1503. The Sodré astrolabe was recovered from the wreck of a Portuguese ship in the Gulf of Oman in 2014. ( Oman’s Ministry of Heritage & Culture (MHC) and Blue Water Recoveries Ltd ) The Wreck of the Esmerelda Mears and his team are world-renowned and they were involved in the exploration of the famous German battleship, the Bismarck, which was sunk during WWII. It was recovered by David Mearns of Blue Water Recoveries Ltd and his team of marine archaeologists reports the Ars Tecnia. This astrolabe is a solid disk device of which there are only approximately 100 specimens in the world. Astrolabes have also been used by astronomers since the classical era. The Daily Telegraph reports “they were first used at sea on a Portuguese voyage down the west coast of Africa in 1481”. They played a very important role in the Age of Discovery when Europeans explored much of the globe - which ultimately led to the emergence of European Empires around the world. This was main navigation instrument for mariners until it was replaced by the sextant in the 18 th century. The astrolabe is a bronze disc, which measures 17.5cm in diameter (Image: Philip Koch) The Marine Tool That Opened Up the WorldĪn astrolabe measures the altitude above the horizon of the sun or the stars and can calculate local time and latitude, fairly accurately. ![]() As a result of the certification, the mariner’s navigation piece is going to be entered into the next edition of the Guinness Book of Records. The instrument, known as the Sodré astrolabe was discovered by marine archaeologists in the Indian Ocean and it dates to the very beginning of the 16 th century. ![]() Experts from the Guinness Book of Records have confirmed a find to be the world’s oldest mariner’s astrolabe, a navigation device used by seamen in the past. ![]()
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