BABYLONIAN ASTROLABE

'CALENDAR OF THE CREATION'
720 BC Assyrian copy of 5,500 BC Sumerian cuneiform tablet

Stone tablet, quartzite-limestone composite,  5 x 3.5 inches (13 x 9 cm), half inch thickness (15 mm), cuneiform inscription, with display stand, back-label ID & description.
 

Historical reproduction of ancient Astrolabe known as the "Calendar of the Creation." It was recovered during the 19th century from the buried Nineveh Library of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. The tablet is named after the Sumerian Creation Epic (Enuma Elish) description of the Astrolabe as "the calendar set in motion by Marduk himself whilst creating the universe. " 

The disc is inscribed with the Old Sumerian names for months, names of key stars and measurements. Although it dates from the reign of Sargon II (720-704 BC,) it is considered a scribal copy from a much earlier period, accurately recording astronomical data from 5,500 BC. The astronomical information correlates with other well known cuneiform texts amongst which it is the most important. 

It represents an actual map of the sky in 5,500 BC, showing which three stars/constellations rise heliacally (first morning appearance after conjunction with the sun) every month over three sectors of the eastern horizon called ‘paths.’ The position of a given star in the sky over the eastern horizon is revealed by it’s ‘path.’

Mesopotamian life was based on the 360 day ‘perfect year’ as defined by the astrolabe.

BACKGROUND 

Many tablets recovered from Nineveh were sourced from ancient Sumerian originals personally collected by King Ashurbanipal's emissaries to be copied by his scribes.

The tablet is part of a segmented clay disk or planisphere, popularly known as an "astrolabe" ... an ancient astronomical instrument for plotting stellar movements. They typically consist of a segmented, disk-shaped tablet with marked units of angle measure inscribed upon the rim. It divides the night sky into eight sectors, illustrating prominent constellations, astral bodies and their direction of movement.

Employing simple math, such calendars were used to correlate the heliacal risings of chosen stars with known calendar dates and set out a numerical system for estimating the changing length of days and nights throughout the year. Some also record unusual heavenly events.