Ever heard or heard of a salpinx, barbiton, aulos, or syrinx? Well, neither has anyone else, for centuries (at least heard them). Until now. Credit: Luca Petrella These ancient instruments were common ...

Western science owes much to Islam's golden age — a debt that is often forgotten. To help redress the balance, Fuat Sezgin has reconstructed a host of scientific treasures using ancient Arabic texts.

As Islamic science started to reach Europe, Islamic astronomical instruments, such as the globe illustrated here, became highly prized. Some were bought and copied, and the names of the stars and ...