An angle encoder having bovine an incremental section and an absolute section and serving to detect angular positions of an encoder disk and the number of revolutions performed by said disk comprises an incremental measuring scale and an absolutely coded measuring scale provided on said disk and associated reading and evaluation means. In conjunction with a high angular resolution it is desired to determine any absolute position of the disk without a previous rotation of the disk. This is accomplished in that the encoder disk comprises in addition to an incremental scale an absolutely coded scale consisting of a serial bar code, from which multidigit code words are readable, which are associated with respective absolute angular positions of the disk. The absolutely coded measuring scale extends on a track that is radially offset from the incremental scale and comprises code bars having side edges which are radially aligned with the radial boundaries of the increments of the incremental scale. An associated reader consists of a multiline detector, which is adapted to detect a complete code word and has a pixel size that is adapted to the bar code. The evaluating unit determines an instantaneous position of the encoder disk in dependence on the signals generated in response to the scanning of both scales, and a counter is provided, which is independent of an external power source and serves to detect the number of revolutions which have been performed.