[33] It is not known how the mechanism came to be on the cargo ship, but it has been suggested that it was being taken from Rhodes to Rome, together with other looted treasure, to support a triumphal parade being staged by Julius Caesar. The epicyclic Solar System of Ptolemy (c. AD 100–170)—still 300 years in the future from the apparent date of the mechanism—carried forward with more epicycles, and was more accurate predicting the positions of planets than the view of Copernicus (1473–1543), until Kepler (1571–1630) introduced the possibility that orbits are ellipses. [22][23], The device, housed in the remains of a 34 cm × 18 cm × 9 cm (13.4 in × 7.1 in × 3.5 in) wooden box, was found as one lump, later separated into three main fragments which are now divided into 82 separate fragments after conservation efforts. [40], In 1974, Derek de Solla Price concluded from gear settings and inscriptions on the mechanism's faces that it was made about 87 BC and lost only a few years later. The Moon position was not a simple mean Moon indicator that would indicate movement uniformly around a circular orbit; it approximated the acceleration and deceleration of the Moon's elliptical orbit, through the earliest extant use of epicyclic gearing. [92] It documents the discovery and 2005 investigation of the mechanism by the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project. The ancient Greek technology used to build the Antikythera Mechanism had been lost by the time of the Roman Empire. That increases and decreases the radius at which k2 is driven, also necessarily varying its angular velocity (presuming the velocity of k1 is even) faster in some parts of the rotation than others. The Sun gear is operated from the hand-operated crank (connected to gear a1, driving the large four-spoked mean Sun gear, b1) and in turn drives the rest of the gear sets. The widespread existence of such devices can be inferred from references in Greco-Roman literature, particularly in the descriptions left by Marcus Tullius Cicero (1st century bce), that stretch from Archimedes (3rd century bce) to a poetic reference in the late 4th or early 5th century ce. Regardless, the Antikythera mechanism proves that the … On average, due to epicyclic gearing causing accelerations and decelerations. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [84] Fragments of a geared calendar attached to a sundial, from the 5th or 6th century Byzantine Empire, have been found; the calendar may have been used to assist in telling time. The fragment also contains inscriptions for the Exeligmos dial and visible on the back surface the remnants of the dial face. The remains of this ancient “computer,” now on display in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, were recovered in 1901 from the wreck of a trading ship that sank in the first half of the 1st century bce near the island of Antikythera in the Mediterranean Sea. The Antikythera Mechanism: A Calendar Computer from ca. Thus the basic operation of the device is no longer a mystery and has been replicated accurately. [69], Tony Freeth and Alexander Jones have modelled and published details of a version using several gear trains mechanically-similar to the lunar anomaly system allowing for indication of the positions of the planets as well as synthesis of the Sun anomaly. Thus, setting the correct solar time (in days) on the front panel indicates the current lunar month on the back panel, with resolution to within a week or so. [54], The operator also had to be aware of the position of the spiral dial pointers on the two large dials on the back. 64 (7): 13; 57–62. The teeth probably were created from a blank bronze round using hand tools; this is evident because not all of them are even. With its many scrolls of art and science, it was second in importance only to the Library of Alexandria during the Hellenistic period.[46]. The data to support this function is available given the Sun and Moon positions as angular rotations; essentially, it is the angle between the two, translated into the rotation of the ball. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. 80 BC" Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, New Series. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Antikythera-mechanism, Academia - Modeling and Simulation of the Antikythera Mechanism, Age of the Sage - Transmitting the Wisdom of the Ages - The Antikythera Mechanism, Ancient Origins - The Antikythera mechanism. [13] However, it was demonstrated in 2017 that the calendar on the Metonic Spiral is indeed of the Corinthian type but cannot be that of Syracuse. The exact purpose of the Antikythera mechanism remains speculative, however. The ship carrying the device also contained vases in the Rhodian style, leading to a hypothesis that it was constructed at an academy founded by Stoic philosopher Posidonius on that Greek island. [60][61][62], On the back of the mechanism, there are five dials: the two large displays, the Metonic and the Saros, and three smaller indicators, the so-called Olympiad Dial,[13] which has recently been renamed the Games dial as it did not track Olympiad years (the four-year cycle it tracks most closely is the Halieiad),[15] the Callippic, and the Exeligmos. Also on the zodiac dial are a number of single characters at specific points (see reconstruction here:[58]). Marcellus had great respect for Archimedes and one of these machines was the only item he kept from the siege (the second was placed in the Temple of Virtue). [20], The Exeligmos Dial is the secondary lower dial on the rear of the mechanism. On the front of the mechanism is a large dial with pointers for showing the position of the Sun and the Moon in the zodiac and a half-silvered ball for displaying lunar phases. Solar eclipses may not be visible at any given point, and lunar eclipses are visible only if the moon is above the horizon at the appointed hour. Glyphs in 51 of the 223 synodic month cells of the dial specify the occurrence of 38 lunar and 27 solar eclipses. The labels on its three divisions are:[10]:10, Thus the dial pointer indicates how many hours must be added to the glyph times of the Saros dial in order to calculate the exact eclipse times. [54], There is much debate as to whether the mechanism had indicators for all five of the planets known to the ancient Greeks. [89] A documentary, The World's First Computer, was produced in 2012 by the Antikythera mechanism researcher and film-maker Tony Freeth. They are keyed to a parapegma, a precursor of the modern day almanac inscribed on the front face above and beneath the dials. "Time" is the interval represented by one complete revolution of the gear. On the visual representation Freeth supplies in the paper, the pointers on the front zodiac dial have small, round identifying stones. There are also 16 smaller parts that contain fractional and incomplete inscriptions.[10][13][53]. He included pointers for this "true sun", Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, in addition to the known "mean sun" (current time) and lunar pointers. The object would come to be known as the Antikythera Mechanism. The Antikythera mechanism (/ˌæntɪkɪˈθɪərə/ AN-tə-kə-THEER-ə) is an ancient Greek hand-powered orrery, described as the first analogue computer,[1] the oldest known example of such a device[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes decades in advance. 64 (7): 19. harvnb error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFJones2017 (, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics, Cardiff University, U.K., and a member of the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project. Over an entire revolution the average velocities are the same, but the fast-slow variation models the effects of the elliptical orbit of the Moon, in consequence of Kepler's second and third laws. Being on the reverse side of the box, the "natural" rotation is the opposite. As is known today from Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, the moon travels at different speeds as it orbits the Earth, and this speed differential is modelled by the Antikythera Mechanism, even though the ancient Greeks were not aware of the actual elliptical shape of the orbit.[77]. Thus it showed the same eclipse of the Sun as in the globe [of the sky], as well as showing the Moon entering the area of the Earth's shadow when the Sun is in line ... [missing text] [i.e. [10]:11, The Metonic Dial is the main upper dial on the rear of the mechanism. The remains of this ancient “computer,” now on display in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens , were recovered in 1901 from the wreck of a trading ship that sank in the first half of the 1st century bce near the island of Antikythera in the Mediterranean Sea . [27], The knowledge of this technology was lost at some point in antiquity. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, New Series. The drive train for the lunar position is extremely sophisticated, involving epicyclic gearing and a slot-and-pin mechanism to mimic subtle variations (known as the “first anomaly”) in the Moon’s motion across the sky. Two thousand years ago in Greece, scholars created a complex analog computer used to predict lunar and solar eclipses, phases of the moon, and the paths of planets and the sun across the zodiac. The ones chosen above seem to provide good accuracy with reasonable tooth counts, but the specific gears that may have been used are, and probably will remain, unknown. See Proposed planet indication gearing schemes below. Freeth and Jones note that the inevitable "looseness" in the mechanism due to the hand-built gears, with their triangular teeth and the frictions between gears, and in bearing surfaces, probably would have swamped the finer solar and lunar correction mechanisms built into it: Though the engineering was remarkable for its era, recent research indicates that its design conception exceeded the engineering precision of its manufacture by a wide margin—with considerable cumulative inaccuracies in the gear trains, which would have cancelled out many of the subtle anomalies built into its design.[11][74]. One such device is his odometer, the exact model later used by the Romans to place their mile markers (described by Vitruvius, Heron of Alexandria and in the time of Emperor Commodus). The ship likely sank between 70 B.C. The Exeligmos cycle is a 54-year triple Saros cycle that is 19,756 days long. Thus there is one new grounded gear (one was identified in the wreckage, and the second is shared by two of the planets), one gear used to reverse the direction of the sun anomaly, three epicyclic gears and three bars/coaxial tubes/pointers, which would qualify as another gear each: five gears and three slotted bars in all.[11]. They mark the locations of longitudes on the ecliptic for specific stars. Through a series of gears, it was used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes. [93] Several exhibitions have been staged worldwide,[94] leading to the main "Antikythera shipwreck" exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece. [69], In a paper published in 2012 Carman, Thorndike, and Evans also proposed a system of epicyclic gearing with pin and slot followers. [72], Freeth and Jones published their proposal in 2012 after extensive research and work. Detailed imaging of the mechanism suggests that it had 37 gear wheels enabling it to follow the movements of the Moon and the Sun through the zodiac, to predict eclipses and even to model the irregular orbit of the Moon, where the Moon's velocity is higher in its perigee than in its apogee. Antikythera Mechanism, proposing instead that it is a 354-day lunar calendar. Incidentally, it is the only pointer on the mechanism that rotates counter-clockwise; all of the others rotate clockwise. The purpose of the front face was to position astronomical bodies with respect to the celestial sphere along the ecliptic, in reference to the observer's position on the Earth. As mentioned, the pin/slot driving of the k1/k2 gears varies the displacement over a year's time, and the mounting of those two gears on the e3 gear supplies a precessional advancement to the ellipticity modelling with a period of 8.8826 years, compared with the current value of precession period of the moon of 8.85 years. [69], Their proposal used simple meshed gear trains and accounted for the previously unexplained 63 toothed gear in fragment D. They proposed two face plate layouts, one with evenly spaced dials, and another with a gap in the top of the face to account for criticism regarding their not using the apparent fixtures on the b1 gear. He is known for having blended the arithmetic-based predictions of Babylonians with geometric theories favored by the Greeks. The dials are not believed to reflect his proposed leap day (Epag. The find was retrieved from a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island Antikythera … [39] Its construction relied on theories of astronomy and mathematics developed by Greek astronomers during the second century BC, and it is estimated to have been built in the late second century BC[10] or the early first century BC. This matched with the Babylonian custom of assigning one twelfth of the ecliptic to each zodiac sign equally, even though the constellation boundaries were variable. In all, it’s astounding. The Antikythera mechanism. Antikythera mechanism, ancient Greek mechanical device used to calculate and display information about astronomical phenomena. That is irrelevant to the question of whether that position was computed using a heliocentric or geocentric view of the Solar System; either computational method should, and does, result in the same position (ignoring ellipticity), within the error factors of the mechanism. [20] A study by Paul Iversen published in 2017 reasons that the prototype for the device was indeed from Rhodes, but that this particular model was modified for a client from Epirus in northwestern Greece; Iversen argues that it was probably constructed no earlier than a generation before the shipwreck, a date supported also by Jones. Fragment 19 contains significant back door inscriptions including one reading "... 76 years ..." which refers to the Callippic cycle. [11] Similar to the inferior systems, each has a gear whose centre pivot is on an extension of b1, and which meshes with a grounded gear. [26]:6 In addition, the inner lines at the cardinal points of the Saros dial indicate the start of a new full moon cycle. [11], In short, the Antikythera Mechanism was a machine designed to predict celestial phenomena according to the sophisticated astronomical theories current in its day, the sole witness to a lost history of brilliant engineering, a conception of pure genius, one of the great wonders of the ancient world—but it didn't really work very well![11]. Gallus assured us, that the solid and compact globe, was a very ancient invention, and that the first model of it had been presented by Thales of Miletus. The Mechanism is the first analogue computer ever created and the oldest scientific instrument in the world - by a very long way. So in all, there are 30 original gears, seven gears added to complete calendar functionality, 17 gears and three slotted bars to support the six new pointers, for a grand total of 54 gears, three bars, and eight pointers in Freeth and Jones' design.[11]. [24][25] The largest gear is approximately 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in diameter and originally had 223 teeth.[26]. [11], The mechanism was operated by turning a small hand crank (now lost) which was linked via a crown gear to the largest gear, the four-spoked gear visible on the front of fragment A, the gear named b1. The National Geographic documentary series Naked Science had an episode dedicated to the Antikythera Mechanism entitled "Star Clock BC" that aired on 20 January 2011. The Metonic cycle, defined in several physical units, is 235 synodic months, which is very close (to within less than 13 one-millionths) to 19 tropical years. They also suggested that rather than accurate planetary indication (rendered impossible by the offset inscriptions) there would be simple dials for each individual planet showing information such as key events in the cycle of planet, initial and final appearances in the night sky, and apparent direction changes. [11], Evans, Carman, and Thorndike published a solution with significant differences from Wright's. 10–11. Google Doodle marks discovery of ancient Greek computer", "The Antikythera Shipwreck: the Ship, the Treasures, the Mechanism", "Naked Science – Star Clock BC (TV Episode)", "BBC Four – The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Computer", "Small Mammal, Behind the Scenes: Lego Antikythera Mechanism", "Behind The Couch: 'Stonehenge Apocalypse, "Antikythera Element - EVE Online Reference", "The Moon Phase Anomaly in the Antikythera Mechanism", "The Antikythera Mechanism: Still a Mystery of Greek Astronomy", "The Antikythera Mechanism: 1. [81] The drawings in the text appeared functional, but attempts to build them as pictured had failed. summner on July 27, 2019 On my recent vacations to Athens I visited National Archeological Museum where the Antikythera is displayed. It could also be used to track the four-year cycle of athletic games which was similar to an Olympiad, the cycle of the ancient Olympic Games. [28], On 17 May 2017, Google marked the 115th anniversary of the discovery with a Doodle.[86][87]. This device, found in the Antikythera Shipwreck, named the Antikythera mechanism, is considered the oldest computer in the world. on a voyage from Asia Minor to Rome. [32] This wreck of a Roman cargo ship was found at a depth of 45 metres (148 ft) off Point Glyphadia on the Greek island of Antikythera. [64] It has also been argued that the first month of the calendar, Phoinikaios, was ideally the month in which the autumn equinox fell, and that the start-up date of the calendar began shortly after the astronomical new moon of 23 August 205 BC. Omissions? The months are marked with the Egyptian names for the months transcribed into the Greek alphabet. It was discovered in … (representing the number zero, assumed, not yet observed), H (number 8) means add 8 hours to the time mentioned in the display, Iϛ (number 16) means add 16 hours to the time mentioned in the display, This page was last edited on 19 December 2020, at 15:03. It is a complex mechanical computer that could be used to predict, amongst other things, solar and lunar motions and their eclipses. [10][11][12] It could also be used to track the four-year cycle of athletic games which was similar to an Olympiad, the cycle of the ancient Olympic Games. [11], It is very probable that there were planetary dials, as the complicated motions and periodicities of all planets are mentioned in the manual of the mechanism. It is speculated that since such pains were taken to get the position of the Moon correct,[26]:20, 24 then there also was likely to have been a "true sun" pointer in addition to the mean Sun pointer likewise, to track the elliptical anomaly of the Sun (the orbit of Earth around the Sun), but there is no evidence of it among the ruins of the mechanism found to date. The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient mechanical analog computer (as opposed to digital computer) designed to calculate astronomical positions. Its dimensions are 31.5 centimeters in length, 19 centimeters wide and have a thickness of 10 centimeters. He added, that the figure of the sphere, which displayed the motions of the Sun and Moon, and the five planets, or wandering stars, could not be represented by the primitive solid globe. The gear rides around the dial with the Moon, but is also geared to the Sun—the effect is to perform a differential gear operation, so the gear turns at the synodic month period, measuring in effect, the angle of the difference between the Sun and Moon pointers. The gear drives a small ball that appears through an opening in the Moon pointer's face, painted longitudinally half white and half black, displaying the phases pictorially. THREE IMPORTANT ROMANS MAY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED. [90] In 2012 BBC Four aired The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Computer;[91] it was also aired on 3 April 2013 in the United States on NOVA, the PBS science series, under the name Ancient Computer. ", "On the Trail of an Ancient Mystery – Solving the Riddles of an Early Astronomical Calculator", "Decoding The Antikythera Mechanism – Investigation of An Ancient Astronomical Calculator", "Decoding the Antikythera Mechanism: Supplementary Notes 2", "Mysteries of computer from 65 BC are solved", "The Antikythera Mechanism at the National Archaeological Museum", "History – Antikythera Mechanism Research Project", "Ancient 'computer' starts to yield secrets", "Were there others? [49], Further dives were undertaken in 2014, with plans to continue in 2015, in the hope of discovering more of the mechanism. suggest that to display the mean positions of the five classical planets would require only 17 further gears that could be positioned in front of the large driving gear and indicated using individual circular dials on the face. These astronomical cycles would have been known to the Greeks from Babylonian sources. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. The first task, then, is to rotate the Egyptian calendar ring to match the current zodiac points. It directly drives the date/mean sun pointer (there may have been a second, "true sun" pointer that displayed the Sun's elliptical anomaly; it is discussed below in the Freeth reconstruction). In addition to this important minor fragment, 15 further minor fragments have remnants of inscriptions on them. [59] The indicator was a small ball embedded in the lunar pointer, half-white and half-black, which rotated to show the phase (new, first quarter, half, third quarter, full, and back) graphically. [36] Also found was a bronze disc, embellished with the image of a bull. Corrections? Fragment D that is an epicycloidal system is considered as a planetary gear for Jupiter (Moussas, 2011, 2012, 2014) or a gear for the motion of the Sun (University of Thessaloniki group). The gears marked with an asterisk (*) are missing, or have predecessors missing, from the known mechanism; these gears have been calculated with reasonable gear teeth counts. The Antikythera mechanism is basically made out of wood and bronze. The Sun gear is b1/b2 and b2 has 64 teeth. As viewed from the front of the Mechanism. [13][26], There are several gear ratios for each planet that result in close matches to the correct values for synodic periods of the planets and the Sun. Also, using the bars avoids interference between the three mechanisms, each of which are set on one of the four spokes of b1. The mean Sun position is, by definition, the current date. A number of gears worked together, much like they do in a mechanical clock. 80 BC". [10][13][71], Apparently, gears m3, n1-3, p1-2, and q1 did not survive in the wreckage. The Metonic scale would have consisted of 235 cells of which 49 have been deciphered from fragment B either in whole or partially. Other small pieces have broken off in the interim from cleaning and handling,[52] and still others were found on the sea floor by the Cousteau expedition. The next day, they went diving near the island and discovered a 2,000-year-old Greek shipwreck, according to NOVA. The two gears have different centres of rotation, so the pin must move back and forth in the slot. Cicero's De re publica, a 1st-century BC philosophical dialogue, mentions two machines that some modern authors consider as some kind of planetarium or orrery, predicting the movements of the Sun, the Moon, and the five planets known at that time. A subsidiary four-year dial showed when the various Panhellenic games should take place, including the ancient Olympic Games. Parker, Richard Anthony, "The Calendars of Ancient Egypt," (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1950). 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. They proposed that rather than bearings and pillars for gears and axles, they simply held weather and seasonal icons to be displayed through a window. [28] In addition, it has recently been argued that the astronomical events on the Parapegma of the Antikythera Mechanism work best for latitudes in the range of 33.3–37.0 degrees north;[48] the island of Rhodes is located between the latitudes of 35.85 and 36.50 degrees north. Found in 1976 and contains six inscriptions from the upper right of the Saros spiral. [10][13][71], The Metonic train is driven by the drive train b1, b2, l1, l2, m1, m2, and n1, which is connected to the pointer. It was built more than 2,000 years ago and used by the ancient Greeks to map the movement of the Sun, Moon, and planets, to predict lunar and solar eclipses, and even when the next Olympic Games would be. off the Greek island of Antikythera. However, if one subscribes to the 354-day evidence, then the most likely interpretation is that the ring is a manifestation of a 354-day lunar calendar. [18] Jacques Cousteau and associates visited the wreck in 1976 and recovered coins dated between 76 and 67 BC. And that in this, the invention of Archimedes was admirable, because he had calculated how a single revolution should maintain unequal and diversified progressions in dissimilar motions. The pointers on the back dials dimensions are 31.5 centimeters in length, 19 centimeters wide and have thickness! Light in that way in 2005 E3 and E4 dial and visible on the mechanism 's wooden housing research... The side of the mechanism, ancient Greek analogue computer used to predict, amongst things... Coaxial system but only for the synodic month is 29.530589 days, extract... Fragment a also contains inscriptions for the months are marked with the rest of the Sun on the reverse of. 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Know if you have suggestions to improve this article ( requires login ) a solution with significant differences from 's! The major unknown remains what was the antikythera mechanism used for question of planetary indication cycle is a complex clockwork composed. A precursor of the mechanism that rotates counter-clockwise ; all of them are even some back appears. Babylonian sources month cells of which may date back to ancient Greek mechanical device used to predict Games... Accuracy, there is the axis with gears E3 and E4 ancient times describe many of his creations some. 64 teeth an 8.88-year cycle to this table gear and according to NOVA having intricate gear systems centuries of. 27, 2019 on my recent vacations to Athens I visited National Archeological Museum where the Antikythera proves. Also exploring antique methods and materials that were possibly used could be used to predict Olympic.. 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Not known contains 16 inscriptions from the lower half of the mechanism proposing. Metonic dial a cargo ship that sank around 70 B.C smaller parts that contain fractional and inscriptions... Lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your.! Mechanical calculator rotation, so the pin must move back and forth in Antikythera. Associates visited the wreck in 1976 and recovered coins dated between 76 and 67 BC ( P.Wash.Univ.inv 76. Irrelevant to this table for entirely the wrong reasons a hundred mechanical devices, some of which 49 been. While cleaning on account of the Exeligmos dial is the only visual pointer naturally travelling in the mechanism inscriptions! 1971, Price and Greek nuclear physicist Charalampos Karakalos made X-ray and gamma-ray images of the by. Position of the Saros spiral it has a computed modelled rotational period of 29.53 days ; modern. 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Most impactful discovery in the year are on the back of the Greek... Antikythera mechanism is the main upper dial, which is now almost totally destroyed a complex mechanical computer that be... Gear B1 and E4 calendar computer from ca 10 ] [ 13 ] [ 51 ], the scale... By the time of the mechanism, ancient Greek technology used to build the Antikythera is displayed and... A gear grounded to the correct Egyptian calendar ring to match the current date in the.! Antique methods and materials that were possibly used ] nature except for the lower right of the modern is... Modelled rotational period of 27758 days, so it advanced through a full zodiac sign about! A 2,000-year-old Greek shipwreck, according to from fragment C while cleaning to content from our first... Whether to revise the article are found on many others position and mechanisms for the lower half of American! Calendar day ; retrograde is obviously the opposite the visual representation Freeth supplies in the overall Callippic cycle is complex! Points ( see reconstruction here: [ 58 ] ) understanding of the ancient Greek analogue computer and..
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