It's hard to understand how revolutionary a technology seventeen hundred years ahead of its time could have been, but we somehow lost it to secrecy, entropy and happenstance. The Antikythera Mechanism tracked planetary positions, predicted lunar and solar eclipses, and even signalled the next Olympic Games. Recently, scientists using modern-day techniques have concluded that the Antikythera mechanism … But, it can't possibly be a computer... right? The Antikythera Mechanism, he argued, was one of their gifts [source: Seabrook]. It has been suggested that sailors, scholars, or a very rich family could have used of the device. It was discovered on a sunken, The Roman-Era wreckage was submerged about, 4. 11 Facts About the Antikythera Mechanism, the 2,000 Year Old Computer . “In order to guarantee its exactitude, whatever the day or year chosen, a dial on the back shows the Metonic cycle – which reflects lunar and solar cycles over 19 years.". The Antikythera Mechanism, in speculation, is the world’s first analogical computer. Others believe that the Antikythera mechanism may have been used at a school or a religious temple. All fragments of the Antikythera mechanism are kept at the National Archaeological Museum, in Athens Greece. The … As mentioned above, the device included an astrological face that includes pointers for the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, as well as the Moon. Antikythera Mechanism, proposing instead that it is a 354-day lunar calendar. In fact, it would be around 1,000 years before another analog device of a similar sophistication would emerge. The documentary added: “It showed a set of interlocking gears of astounding ingenuity. Much of the technology was obscured by corrosion and there was more excitement surrounding the marble, coins, and pottery from the wreck. The mechanism had se… He wrote: “The mechanism is like a great astronomical clock, or like a modern analogue computer which uses mechanical parts to save tedious calculation.”. The instrument is believed to have been designed and constructed by Greek scientists and is dated between 60BC and 205BC. The Antikythera mechanism is the world’s first analogical computer, used by ancient Greeks to chart the movement of the sun, moon and planets, predict lunar and solar eclipses and even signal the next Olympic Games. For more impressive engineering feats, be sure to stop by here. The calendar on the mechanism uses names for the months that were used in Corinth and in northwest Greece, and a dial that indicates the timing of major festivals, lists Naa, a festival held in northwest Greece, and Halieia, held on the island of Rhodes. What was its purpose? The ancient astronomer lived on Rhodes and was one of the first thinkers to speculate that the Earth may revolve around the sun. Although the exact history of the Antikythera Mechanism is … It was a computer in the sense that the user could input a few simple variables and it would yield a flurry of complicated mathematical calculations. Discovering the Antikythera Mechanism . The Antikythera mechanism was impressively accurate, How accurate? It can be thought of as the first computer, The earliest analog "computers" were mechanical devices built for a particular task. The Antikythera Mechanism’s Mechanics. “The form of the letters is typical of the period and the vocabulary used is found on all of the other texts of the same period. X-ray images taken up to that point were difficult to interpret, and most mainstream historians ignored the artifact. How accurate? Many have since dubbed it "the world's first" computer. These were first built in Greece sometime in the first century BC. The Antikythera Mechanism – the 2,000 Years Old “Computer” for Tracking the Solar System by Ignat This ancient Greek “computer” called the Antikythera mechanism continues to puzzle scientists as to what it was used for. The narrator explained: "Amongst the sublime objects, divers found an intriguing bronze item about 20cm high, which began to disintegrate as soon as it was removed from the water. It is a metallic device which consists of a complex combination of gears, and dates back to the 2 nd century BCE. When one of the original divers came up to tell the rest of his mates of his discovery; a wreckage that included corpses, artifacts, and horses, his friends thought he was hallucinating and had lost it. According to the Roman historian Cicero, the philosopher Posidonius had a workshop in Rhodes that produced a similar device. The Antikythera mechanism is fascinating in its own right, but the real treat here is that this discovery comes from one of our own community — [Chris] at … Its exact purpose was unknown, although a previous … The earliest analog "computers" were mechanical devices built for a particular task. However, instead of hours and minutes, it displayed celestial time and had separate hands for the Sun, the Moon, and each of the five planets visible to the naked eye (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). The Antikythera Mechanism was discovered inside an ancient shipwreck by Greek sponge divers in 1901. At over 2000 years old, the very existence of the Antikythera Mechanism was a surprise. What do you think about the Antikythera mechanism? A 2,000 year old Greek shipwreck contained the Antikythera Mechanism, a mechanical computer that was 1,000 years ahead of its time. IT'S BEEN CALLED THE WORLD'S FIRST COMPUTER. Historian Yanis Bitsakis explained why the object is believed to be more than 2,000 years old. The mechanism was used to track the lunar calendar, 9. The Antikythera mechanism was used for more than just navigation. But Item 15087 always had at least one or two more scientifically inclined champions. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, “Inside, a second circle shows the 12 signs of the zodiac. The beautifully preserved artifact was discovered in a shipwreck in 1901 and baffled researchers all the way until the late 1990s and early 2000s, when more sophisticated e-ray and CT imaging techniques allowed them to reveal the mechanisms of the corroded device. ... How old is the 'computer'? This ancient invention paints a very different picture of the ancient Greeks, giving us insight into ways in which they may have been far more advanced than we thought. The divers who found it were out looking for sponges. The Inventor of trigonometry may have also had a hand in creating the device. A rotating ball showed the phase of the Moon and dials on the back acted as a calendar and showed the timing of, 2. A mechanical calculator that accurately plots the movement of heavenly bodies and predicts the dates of eclipses is discovered in an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Greece. “Given the extensive information we have, a reliable reconstitution can be made.”, DONT MISSEnd of the world: How archaeologist discovered 'real Maayan doomsday' [VIDEO]Mayan DISCOVERY: How find in ancient city ‘reveals creation story' [CLAIM]Egypt: How ‘greatest archaeological find of all time' stunned expert [REVEALED]. It even came with an instruction manual, It is believed that the device was created in, 10. It took researchers about 75 years to decipher the mechanism of the Antikythera Mechanism. The incredible discovery was revealed by YouTube channel ‘Antikythera’ during their ‘The Antikythera Mechanism’ documentary. Scholars speculate that the mechanism may have been on its way north from Rhodes when it was lost at sea. There are no records of the device. “From the first, scientists realised that this was a mechanism for astronomical data. Now we know it was antique even before it sank beneath the waves in a wrecked Roman ship. Beginning in around 1951, physicist and historian Derek de Solla Price studied the device in some detail. and is 1,000 years more advanced than anything else found from that time As the knob turned, trains of interlocking gearwheels drove at least seven hands at various speeds. You may unsubscribe at any time. , there are some ancient inventions out there that have left the modern world dumbfounded. This rusty old piece of metal has literally opened a universe of knowledge that was not available before its discovery. 4.8 (112) A mechanical calculator that accurately plots the movement of heavenly bodies and predicts the dates of eclipses is discovered in an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Greece. The Antikythera Mechanism – A 2000-Year-Old Impossibility. The ancient astronomer lived on Rhodes and was one of the first thinkers to speculate that the Earth may revolve around the sun. Let's get the most obvious fact out of the way. Jamie Seidel. According to researchers, the 2,100-year-old device was the world’s oldest computer and now there may be a completely unknown HIDDEN purpose inside the mechanism itself. The Antikythera Mechanism was found in a Roman-era shipwreck, How was the Antikythera Mechanism found? The Antikythera Mechanism, in speculation, is the world’s first analogical computer. There are 82 catalogued fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism and they are kept at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece, according to the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project. posted by mhoye at 5:45 AM on December 15 [11 favorites] The pointers on the front face don’t survive, but an inscription suggests they carried colored balls representing Mars and the Sun. It was considered to be the first mechanism with gears in human history. Originally it was in a wooden frame (now mostly disintegrated) and is estimated to have been about 315 x 190 x 100 mm (approx. After numerous studies, it was estimated to have been constructed between 150 BC and 100 BC. The Antikythera mechanism is the world’s first analog computer. The Antikythera Mechanism was a marvelous ancient mechanism with more than 37 gears, 17 axis, and 8 pointers. Since Price’s assessment, modern X-ray and 3D mapping technology have allowed scientists to peer deeper into the remains of the mechanism and learn even more of its secrets. Who would need such a device? Much of the technology was obscured by corrosion and there was more excitement surrounding the marble, coins, and pottery from the wreck. Researchers initially had no idea what the device was meant for or how it worked. The Antikythera Mechanism was found by divers in 1901, and many died while performing the search. It's hard to understand how revolutionary a technology seventeen hundred years ahead of its time could have been, but we somehow lost it to secrecy, entropy and happenstance. Its technological sophistication seems out of place from a time when there was a lull of astronomical discoveries.. Antikythera Mechanism is considered the oldest computer in the world and appeared before Bill Gates products for about 2000 years. They could not be programmed and had no screens or components that we might think of as being part of a computer. What makes the Antikythera mechanism so significant is how much more complex and sophisticated it was compared to other analog devices of the time. In fact, it may be more accurate to think of it as an antique wooden clock. The Antikythera mechanism was similar in size to a mantel clock, and bits of wood found on the fragments suggest it was housed in a wooden case. Just enter your email and we’ll take care of the rest: © Copyright 2020 | Interesting Engineering, Inc. | All Rights Reserved, We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. It is believed that the planetary motion in the mechanism was accurate to one degree in 500 years. This … Do you think there is more to this story? Much later, the Antikythera Mechanism, to the amazement of scientists, would be revealed as, "The World's First Computer," built 2,000 years ago by a Greek genius. One theory is that that ancient device was used as a type of timepiece, based on, nstead of hours and minutes, it displayed celestial time and had separate hands for the Sun, the Moon, and each of the five planets visible to the naked eye (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). Many of the pieces have been named and functions have been attributed them.The calendar scale represents a 360-day year and is divided into 12 months of 30 days each plus a five-day extra period, which corresponds to the Greek-Egyptian calendar. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights. They could not be programmed and had no screens or components that we might think of as being part of a computer. Maybe it was Hipparchus, or someone associated with his school, who worked out the math behind the device. Fundamental … Why its discovery is so significant? “By turning the handle, one could position the two hands to indicate for each day of the year the exact position of the Sun and Moon and a small sphere indicating the phase of the Moon. This ancient invention was way ahead of its time. Inscriptions explained which stars rose and set on any particular date. For more impressive engineering feats. WE thought the world’s oldest known computer — the Antikythera Mechanism — was 2000 years old. “It was only in the 21st century that modern tools for scanning could penetrate the corrosion to reveal in 3D the interior of the machine.”. Documentary about the Antikythera Mechanism, a 2,000-year-old object now regarded as the world's oldest computer, found by divers excavating an ancient Roman shipwreck in 1901. You might have heard that old adage that suggests that necessity is the mother of invention. The Antikythera mechanism was found at the site of a shipwreck off the coast of a Greek island Antikythera. Hipparchus is considered as the founder of trigonometry. The Antikythera Mechanism discovery Sometime before Easter 1900 a Greek sponge diver discovered the wreck of an ancient cargo ship off Antikythera island which is located to the north-west of Crete in the Dodecanese. What do you think about the Antikythera mechanism? 12 x 7.5 x 4 inches). Yes, that's right, … However, a selection of great ancient minds and civilizations have gone far beyond what was required. It has been suggested that the bronze panel at the back of the mechanism included instructions. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. The other parts are made of bronze that is now heavily corroded. A bronze Greek device constructed in around 80BC could be the world's oldest computer, joint British-Greek research seems to suggest. What was its purpose? The wreck itself was found by sponge divers in April 1900 while looking for clams for a meal. The rusty bronze fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism, the world's oldest computer, are 100 years older than scientists previously thought. And although it took them many years to rescue the Antikythera Mechanism from the realm of UFOs, they succeeded in the end. The Antikythera Mechanism – A 2000-Year-Old Impossibility. (Lead holder / Public Domain ) The mechanical gears in the ancient computer-modeled planetary motion mathematically. The Antikythera Mechanism is a clock-like astronomical calculator dating from the second century BC, several years ago. Scientists all agree that the ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM is real and that it dates the the 2nd century BC making it well over 2,000 years old. The Antikythera Mechanism: A 2,000-year-old Computer. The Mechanism Structure and Features Since its salvage in 1900–1, the more than 2000-year-old Antikythera Mechanism has proven to be an extraordinary addition to the archaeological record, requiring radical revision of the history of technology.2 The extant artefact He created the, The eclipse cycle represented on the device is. This rusty old piece of metal has literally opened a universe of knowledge that was not available before its discovery. READ MORE: Titanic artefact found after 100 years 'could have saved' passenger liner from iceberg. He declared in his paper that it was a computer. The eclipse cycle represented on the device is Babylonian in origin and Hipparchus is known for having blended Babylonian predictions with Greek. The divers reported their find to officials and eventually archeologist were sent to retrieve the artifacts from the wreck. Well, decades of research have said otherwise. On Oct 18, 2019. The Antikythera Mechanism would not be appreciated for what it was until the late 1990s and early 2000s. The 2,100-year-old machine salvaged from a shipwreck more than a century ago has been confirmed as an astronomical supercomputer of the ancient world, demonstrating the advanced level of ancient science and technology of ancient Greeks. How was such a special and powerful device like this lost through time? As we have discussed before, there are some ancient inventions out there that have left the modern world dumbfounded. The Inventor of trigonometry may have also had a hand in creating the device, Yes, that's right, Hipparchus may have had a hand in creating the Antikythera mechanism. The parts of the mechanism that have survived are seven large fragments and 75 small pieces, although it’s not entirely clear whether all of these small pieces belong to the mechanism. However, we can be pretty much 100% confident that it was pre-Roman and we might even be able to say exactly how old it is, to the day. “Above this, another spiral dial indicates eclipses of the Sun and the Moon. but unfortunately, he passed away in 1983 without determining how the device worked. In all, it’s astounding. Yes, that's right, Hipparchus may have had a hand in creating the Antikythera mechanism. The history of the antikythera mechanism is part of the bedrock of my belief in open source and shared knowledge. The Antikythera Mechanism came to light in the summer of 1901 (probably July). All of this on a device that was about the size of a mantel clock. In the spring of 1900, fishermen diving for sea sponges off the coast of Antikythera island in Greece, came across the shocking sight of scores of human limbs, faces and horses. The name Antikythera means "opposite of Kythera." The ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM This curious mechanical device is often described as the World’s first analogue computer was retrieved by sponge divers off the coast of Antikythera in or around 1900AD. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. The Antikythera Mechanism tracked planetary positions, predicted lunar and solar eclipses, and even signalled the next Olympic Games. It changed our understanding of human history. It was discovered in the Antikythera … order back issues and use the historic Daily Express The Antikythera mechanism. How was the Antikythera Mechanism found? He created the first trigonometric table when attempting to solve problems related to spheres. Its technological sophistication seems out of place from a time when there was a lull of astronomical discoveries.. The wreck itself was found by sponge divers in April 1900 while looking for clams for a meal. The Antikythera mechanism apparently came with its own instruction manual. Nevertheless, on further inspection, you can see sophisticated rusted gears that were certainly functional at some point. Do you think there is more to this story? Now, scientists believe they have cracked the centuries-old mystery of … The Antikythera Mechanism can be thought of as an analog computer. They had pointers and scales, combined with a complex arrangement of bronze gears to predict the motion of the sun, planets, and stars. ... How old is the 'computer'? The Antikythera mechanism was discovered in 1900 during the recovery of a shipwreck off of the Greek island, Antikythera, in waters 60 meters deep. But he is most famous for his discovery of the precession of the equinoxes. “They applied these to the known astronomical cycles of antiquity and a reconstitution has been made.". “The handle was used to advance the pointer to determine when the next eclipse would occur and these operations were connected with the interlocking gears.". X-ray images taken up to that point were difficult to interpret, and most mainstream historians ignored the artifact. posted by mhoye at 5:45 AM on December 15 [11 favorites] By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. They wrote off his tales of discovery as "raptures of the deep," and the result of too much nitrogen in the breathing mix piped into the diving helmet. You might have heard that old adage that suggests that necessity is the mother of invention. It was also used to track important local events and festivals like the Olympics. There are many theories for who actually used the device. Beginning in around 1951, physicist and historian Derek de Solla Price studied the device in some detail, but unfortunately, he passed away in 1983 without determining how the device worked. The "Antikythera Mechanism" - consisting more than 30 bronze dials and wheels - was recovered from the wreck of a cargo ship off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1900, the Scotsman reports. One theory is that that ancient device was used as a type of timepiece, based on a geocentric view of the universe. According to researchers, the 2,100-year-old device was the world’s oldest computer and now there may be a completely unknown HIDDEN purpose inside the mechanism itself. The Antikythera Mechanism was a marvelous ancient mechanism with more than 37 gears, 17 axis, and 8 pointers. Many scientists originally thought the Antikythera Mechanism was a piece of navigational equipment. Antikythera Mechanism: 'World's First Computer' Is A Shocking 2,000 Years Old By Staff Reporter Nov 29, 2014 01:58 PM EST An ancient Greek clock-like mechanism dubbed the "world's first computer" was dated back to 205 B.C., making it about a century older than was previously believed. 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