纪录片《大英博物馆世界简史》 062希伯来星盘（1）

 

062：EPISODE 62 - Hebrew Astrolabe 希伯来星盘

Hebrew astrolabe (made fourteenth century), probably from Spain

I've got the whole world in my hands - in fact, not just the world, but the cosmos¹. What I'm holding is a portable model of the heavens, in the shape of an exquisite², circular brass³ instrument that looks a bit like a large brass pocket watch, and it's called an astrolabe. With an astrolabe in my hands, I can tell the time, do a bit of surveying, work out my position in the world by sun or stars and, if that's not enough, I can also devise my horoscope.

Although perfectly⁴ familiar to the ancient Greeks, this was an instrument that was particularly important for the Islamic world, as it allowed the faithful to find the direction of Mecca, and so it's not surprising that the oldest astrolabe to survive is an Islamic one from the tenth century. But the astrolabe I'm holding is, in fact, a Jewish one. It was made about 750 years ago, in Spain. It's inscribed⁵ in Hebrew lettering, but it contains Arabic and Spanish words, and it combines both Islamic and European decorative⁶ elements. It is not just an advanced scientific instrument, but it's also an emblem⁷ of a very particular moment in Europe's religious and political history.

"There's a Spanish word that's often used to describe the relationship between the different religions and ethnic⁸ communities, which is 'convivencia', living together." (John Elliott)

"The astrolabe is much more than just a scientific instrument, it's also a symbol of knowledge. It symbolises that one understands what's going on in the heavens - one literally⁹ holds the latest knowledge in one's hands. So it has so many functions, it really is like a medieval type of Blackberry." (Silke Ackermann)

希伯来星盘

黄铜星盘，可能来自西班牙

公元一三四五年至公元一三五五年

这是一个可以随身携带的宇宙模型，外表精致，呈圆形，由黄铜打造，看起来像只大号的黄铜怀表。拿在手里，可以了解时间，做一些勘测工作，或是通过太阳和星辰了解自己在地球上所处的位置。如果掌握必要信息，甚至还可以做星象占卜。

虽然古希腊人对星盘十分熟悉，但它却是一种在伊斯兰世界格外重要的工具，因为能帮助信徒找到麦加的方向，所以传世最早的星盘是十世纪的伊斯兰物品，似乎是顺理成章的。本节图中所示的星盘出现于七百五十年前，是一个犹太人在西班牙制作的。上面雕刻了希伯来字母的铭文，但其中夹杂了西班牙文与阿拉伯文词汇，并结合了伊斯兰教和欧洲的装饰元素。它不只是一件先进的科学仪器，也是欧洲特殊的宗教和政治时期的一个象征。

1 cosmos   

n.宇宙；秩序，和谐

参考例句：

• Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。
• Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

2 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

3 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

4 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

5 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

7 emblem   

n.象征，标志；徽章

参考例句：

• Her shirt has the company emblem on it.她的衬衫印有公司的标记。
• The eagle was an emblem of strength and courage.鹰是力量和勇气的象征。

8 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

9 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。