The item in question was a 1,000-year-old astrolabe, a tool designed by the ancients for celestial navigation, telling time and reading horoscopes. And its engravings told an unexpected tale.

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.

The astrolabe is an ancient astronomical tool of ... and whipped up a simple scroll saw powered by an old sewing machine foot treadle to speed up his work. The real treat though is the hand ...

The identification of an eleventh-century Islamic astrolabe bearing both Arabic and Hebrew inscriptions makes it one of the oldest examples ever discovered and one of only a handful known in the ...

So what follows is very summary indeed. At first sight this astrolabe looks like an outsized old-fashioned pocket watch with an entirely brass face. It sits easily in my hand - in fact it fills it ...

So what follows is very summary indeed. At first sight this astrolabe looks like an outsized old-fashioned pocket watch with an entirely brass face. It sits easily in my hand - in fact it fills it ...