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 Clock Development:mechanical astrological clocks

Muslim astronomers and engineers during the middle ages were able to develop a series of complex and highly accurate astrological clocks. These include an astrolabe built in the tenth century by Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, an astrolabic clock made by Ibn al-Shatir in the 14th century, and the castle clock built by Al-Jazari in 1206.While early clock development in Europe is a bit hazy, it is generally agreed that by the thirteenth century they had working mechanical clocks, driven by weight rather than by water. These clocks were often attached to symbolic mechanical representations of the movement of the stars.The development of clocks tied into astrological phenomenon was a natural development, since the astrolabe was a device used by both astronomers and astrologers, and it was not difficult to apply simple mechanical principles to get it to move.

While mechanical astrological clocks built during the Middle Ages were impressive in scale and scope, they were probably highly inaccurate. This is due to the fact that the intricate and precise gearing required to make these clocks accurate was simply beyond the means of that days manufacturing capabilities. Further, these clocks were using a primitive verge and foliot escapement, which had errors of up to a half an hour every single day. A more accurate clock was produced by Taqi al-Din in 1559 using springs to power the movements.

In general these astronomical clocks were built to display time, and show the position of the stars, but they actually had a much more subtle and philosophical purpose. The intricacy of the various parts, all moving harmoniously, symbolized the order of the universe, and helped to represent the nature of politics, and society, in a way which was favorable to the current rulers. The primal position of the sun, with smaller less important symbols such as stars and constellations all revolving around more important structures, reinforced the idea of monarchy and power by birth.

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