Physical Details
- Type
- tool
- Material
- bronze, volcanic glass inlay, copper rivets
- Era
- 1800 BCE
- Condition
- Fair condition
- Dimensions
- 20.5cm H × 20.5cm W × 1.4cm D
- Weight
- 640g
- Catalog #
- APO-2026-00012
legendaryAPO-2026-00012
The Smoke-Reader's Astrolabe
Part astronomical calculator, part volcanic early-warning system. The Kethari watched the stars to track seasons, but they watched the smoke to track their god. This device did both — the only known instrument that merges astronomy with volcanology.
Inscription
Nara-an sha kin-na. Keth-an ash vor-na. Thal-un meren kin-esh thul-thar-eth sha-na.
/naɾa.an ʃa kin.na | keθ.an aʃ voɾ.na | θal.un meɾen kin.eʃ θul.θaɾ.eθ ʃa.na/
Translation
“The spirit of the sky sees. The ash of the flame flows. The great craftsman invokes the oracle-vision from the mountain.”
Interlinear Analysis(click to expand)
| Form | Gloss | POS |
|---|---|---|
| Nara-an | sky-GEN | noun |
| sha | spirit | noun |
| kin-na | see-PRES | verb |
| Keth-an | flame-GEN | noun |
| ash | ash/remnant | noun |
| vor-na | flow-PRES | verb |
| Thal-un | craft-AGENT | noun |
| meren | great/sovereign | adjective |
| kin-esh | sight-RESULT | noun |
| thul-thar-eth | stone-AUG-ABL | noun |
| sha-na | speak/invoke-PRES | verb |
Script: top-to-bottom, right-to-left
Description
A flat bronze disc with a rotating inner plate, perforated with 47 precisely drilled holes corresponding to visible star positions above the Ashenmere Basin. The outer rim is engraved with Kethari month-signs and volcanic eruption warning glyphs. A volcanic glass pointer (the "smoke finger") pivots from the center. The reverse face is inscribed with a table correlating smoke plume directions from Mount Serath to seasonal weather patterns.
Scholarly Analysis(click to expand)
The 47 star holes have been mapped to actual stellar positions visible at 15 degrees south latitude circa -1800, confirming the instrument's astronomical function. The volcanic correlation table on the reverse is unprecedented — no other civilization is known to have systematically recorded eruption precursors. Dr. Vasquez-Mori considers this the most scientifically significant artifact in the collection. The bronze alloy (10.5% tin) dates it to the Kethari technological peak.
Provenance(click to expand)
- discoverer
- Dr. Helena Vasquez-Mori
- discovery date
- 2024-05-08
- condition notes
- Rotating inner plate seized with corrosion. Three star-holes plugged with sediment. Volcanic glass pointer cracked but intact. Bronze patina stable.
- excavation team
- Ashenmere Institute Field Team 1
- discovery location
- Flame-Speaker's observatory, Seventh Temple tower, Kethport