Astrolabe (Early)

An early analog calculator capable of solving various problems in astronomy, used to measure altitude of celestial bodies.

Core metadata

ID: astrolabe_early
Era: Classical
First known date: 500 (century)
Region: Late antique Mediterranean; later Europe and Islamic world
Review status: source_checked
Maturity: N/A

Prerequisites

Dependents

None.

Fields

None.

Node sources

Astrolabe (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026, textbook) • Supports: node
Locator: Britannica traces astrolabes to the sixth century and describes the planispheric instrument, rete, alidade, and altitude/surveying uses.

Prerequisite edge evidence

Edge/source evidence summary:

Prerequisite edges: 3
Average edge confidence: 68%
Prerequisite sources: 3
expert_inference: 3

Prerequisite	Type	Confidence	Evidence level	Note	Sources
Bronze Working (bronze_working)	enabling	68%	expert_inference	Bronze Working provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path.	Materials (NIST, 2026, generic_overview) • Supports: edge
Geometry (geometry)	enabling	68%	expert_inference	Geometry provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path.	Geometry (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026, textbook) • Supports: edge
Navigation (navigation)	enabling	68%	expert_inference	Navigation provides a capability that enables this technology without being the only possible path.	Navigation (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2026, textbook) • Supports: edge

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