They find the first telephone in history: it was Spanish, it is more than 900 years old, and it was updated over time
A recent study has found what can be considered the world’s first telephone. The device does not have applications, a camera, or artificial intelligence assistants, but calculates time and distances, plots the position of the stars and makes predictions using a horoscope.
Italian collector Ludovico Moscardo found a strange object in the 17th century that appeared to be of Arab origin. After several studies, they discovered that it was an astrolabe, an object used hundreds of years ago to measure time and distance between various points with some precision.
The object was part of the collection of the Fondazione Museo Miniscalchi Erizzo in Verona (Italy). The astrolabe It went unnoticed among other figures in the museum until it was examined by a team of restorers of Islamic instruments from the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford.
“I saw that it was much older than they had realized”restoration student Federica Gigante assured Guardian. Gigante noticed some scratches etched into the bronze surface of the astrolabe and soon realized that they were not accidental.
The first telephone in history was Spanish and is more than 900 years old
The engravings made on the copper of the astrolabe are in Hebrew, which shows that Jews and Muslims worked together more than 900 years ago on scientific advances like this.
A subsequent study has shown that the object may have another language of Western origin, reported Upworthy. Researchers have compared the Verona astrolabe with other similar instruments of the time and They have discovered that it was made in Al-Andalus in the 11th century.
The object has undergone a series of journeys since that time: it left Spain, probably crossed France and was eventually used by the Jewish community living in Italy at the time.
The astrolabe was updated over time like current phones
Like modern phones, the astrolabe needed some updates over time. The object It has had certain corrections throughout its history that have been left engraved on its surface.
“It underwent many modifications as it changed hands. At least three users made translations, modifications and corrections, two in Hebrew and one in a Western language“, according to Federica Gigante.
Spain in the 11th century was occupied by Jews, Muslims and Christians, who collaborated in daily life and especially in the development of science. The first telephone-like device is a contribution from all three groups.
