This Device Might Be England’s Oldest Dated Scientific Instrument
January 28, 2024 4:21 PM Subscribe
This Device Might Be England’s Oldest Dated Scientific Instrument. The 712-year-old artifact is a horary quadrant, a medieval tool used to tell time based on the position of the sun.
Billed as the “earliest dated English scientific instrument,” a 700-year-old medieval device used to tell time sold for £126,000 (more than $150,000) at a Christie’s auction.
The object is a horary quadrant, which tells the time by tracking the sun’s position in the sky. This particular specimen was made in 1311, though the earliest record of such a device outside of England dates to the 13th century.
“These quadrants were probably the tools of merchants, senior churchmen and scholars,” says James Hyslop, head of science and natural history at Christie’s, in a statement. “The knowledge they provided would have revolutionized the way people in the Middle Ages lived.”
The device is shaped like a quarter of a circle. With a radius of just over two inches, it’s small enough to fit into the palm of a hand, notes the Telegraph’s Ed Baker.
It’s made of a copper alloy plate featuring various engravings, including lines used to divide the time between sunrise and sunset into 12 equal periods. Under this system, an hour in the summer is longer than an hour in the winter, reflecting the fact that “being able to work during daylight was crucial,” per the auction house.
Billed as the “earliest dated English scientific instrument,” a 700-year-old medieval device used to tell time sold for £126,000 (more than $150,000) at a Christie’s auction.
The object is a horary quadrant, which tells the time by tracking the sun’s position in the sky. This particular specimen was made in 1311, though the earliest record of such a device outside of England dates to the 13th century.
“These quadrants were probably the tools of merchants, senior churchmen and scholars,” says James Hyslop, head of science and natural history at Christie’s, in a statement. “The knowledge they provided would have revolutionized the way people in the Middle Ages lived.”
The device is shaped like a quarter of a circle. With a radius of just over two inches, it’s small enough to fit into the palm of a hand, notes the Telegraph’s Ed Baker.
It’s made of a copper alloy plate featuring various engravings, including lines used to divide the time between sunrise and sunset into 12 equal periods. Under this system, an hour in the summer is longer than an hour in the winter, reflecting the fact that “being able to work during daylight was crucial,” per the auction house.
Super cool!
The Rural Juror was a hit so catch Jenna Maroney as the villain in a new YA fantasy movie, The Horary Orrery.
posted by sixswitch at 4:29 AM on January 29 [6 favorites]
The Rural Juror was a hit so catch Jenna Maroney as the villain in a new YA fantasy movie, The Horary Orrery.
posted by sixswitch at 4:29 AM on January 29 [6 favorites]
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