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Re: Early lunars
From: Wolfgang K�berer
Date: 2010 Mar 20, 15:47 +0100
From: Wolfgang K�berer
Date: 2010 Mar 20, 15:47 +0100
According to Maddison ("Medieval scientific instruments and the development
of navigational instruments in the XVth and XVIth centuries", 30) the
nocturnal was first described by Ram�n Llull by the end of the XIIIth
century, but this is based on an edition of 1721 and I would not place too
much faith in it.
Hester Higton ("Sundials at Greenwich", 387) also states that nocturnals
were in use "by at least the tenth century"; she does not give any
reference, though.
Finally G�nther Oestmann has written an article in the SIS-Bulletin (No. 69,
5 - 9) on the history of the nocturnal and says that there must have been
forerunners of the instrument that early and that - in contrast to the
astrolabe - manuscripts on this type of instrument are rare; only 18
manuscripts describing the use and manufacture from the 15th and 16th
century are known to him.
Wolfgang
