Farnese Globe
Quick Summary
The Farnese Globe is a celestial globe, likely a Roman copy of a Greek original, dating from the 3rd century BCE. It is currently housed in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. This globe depicts constellation figures but does not show individual stars, making it of limited practical astronomical use. Celestial globes, used to represent stars and constellations, have a history dating back to ancient Greece, with Thales of Miletus generally credited with creating the first.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
celestial globe…oldest in existence is the Farnese Globe, estimated as from the 3rd century bce, now in the National Archaeological Museum at Naples. It shows constellation figures but not individual stars and would have been of little practical astronomical use; it is thought to be a Roman copy of a Greek…
Read More…oldest in existence is the Farnese Globe, estimated as from the 3rd century bce, now in the National Archaeological Museum at Naples. It shows constellation figures but not individual stars and would have been of little practical astronomical use; it is thought to be a Roman copy of a Greek…
Read More
astronomical mapRelationship of the bright stars and their constellations…example survives in the so-called Farnese Globe at Naples, the most famous astronomical artifact of antiquity. This huge marble globe, supported by a statue of Atlas, is generally considered to be a Roman copy of an earlier Greek original. It shows constellation figures but not individual stars, although the stars…
Read More…example survives in the so-called Farnese Globe at Naples, the most famous astronomical artifact of antiquity. This huge marble globe, supported by a statue of Atlas, is generally considered to be a Roman copy of an earlier Greek original. It shows constellation figures but not individual stars, although the stars…
Read More