Show Oxford Gets Rare are Set et o of Astrolabes s re a es OXFORD OXFORD England July 11 AP The three sixty-three astrolabes given to the university by Dr Lewis Evans brother of Sir Arthur Evans the archaeologist when taken with those now In the possession of the colleges form the most complete and representative series of this rare and Ingenious instrument The astrolabe appears to io have been Invented in the second century before Christ by who mea measured the exact length of the year the distance to the fixed stars the time of revolution and eclipse of the moon and Invented trigonometry trigonometry trigo trigo- n metry and the system of locating points on the map by latitude and longitude It is a flat dial with a sight across it and a a. number oi ol hands which can be set against the numerical tables around the circumference Its use is to measure measure measure mea mea- sure the altitude of the sun and the stars The astrolabe is one of the few scientific Instruments saved from the wreckage of Greek civilization The Arabs who In their great day were among the most enthusiastic scientists known until the present scientific developments In America and Germany brought the instrument Instrument ment lent to a high standard of perfection perfection perfection tion and used it generally for navigation navigation navi navi- gation g |