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Decoding the Heavens: The Antikythera Mechanism by Jo Marchant

Darwin College Lecture Series・2 minutes read

The Antikythera mechanism, discovered in a shipwreck, showcases ancient Greek engineering skills and mathematical prowess, predicting heavenly motions using gears and wheels, which has implications for modern science and timekeeping advancements. Various researchers have decoded the workings of the mechanism through advanced technology, revealing its intricate design, including spiral dials to track lunar cycles, planetary motions, and eclipse predictions, shedding light on ancient astronomical knowledge and its influence on modern clock technology.

Insights

  • The Antikythera mechanism, discovered underwater, showcases ancient Greek engineering skills through its complex gear system that predicted heavenly motions, highlighting early mechanical gearing technology pivotal for modern timekeeping and automation.
  • Collaborative efforts by researchers like Derek de Solla Price, Michael Wright, and Tony Freeth, employing advanced technology such as x-ray analysis, computed tomography, and innovative lighting techniques, have unveiled the intricate design and capabilities of the Antikythera mechanism, transforming understanding and revealing new insights into ancient astronomical modeling.

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Recent questions

  • What is the Antikythera mechanism?

    The Antikythera mechanism is a complex mathematical device discovered after 2,000 years under the sea. It was found on a shipwreck near Antikythera in 1900 and is considered an ancient Greek artifact showcasing advanced engineering skills.

  • How did the Antikythera mechanism work?

    The Antikythera mechanism used gears and wheels to predict heavenly motions, translating the Sun's speed into the Moon's speed to show the Moon's phases in relation to the Sun's movement. It contained a set of six gear wheels that synchronized the Sun and Moon's motions using the metonic cycle.

  • Who deciphered the Antikythera mechanism?

    Derek de Solla Price rediscovered the Antikythera mechanism in the 1950s and deciphered astronomical terms and operating instructions from inscriptions. His x-ray analysis in the 1970s revealed the internal structure of the mechanism, showcasing its complex gear system for mathematical calculations.

  • What were the implications of the Antikythera mechanism?

    The Antikythera mechanism's significance lies in its early use of mechanical gearing, a technology pivotal for modern timekeeping and automation. It showcased ancient Greek engineering capabilities and provided insights into their understanding of celestial movements.

  • How was the Antikythera mechanism studied in modern times?

    A team led by Tony Freeth utilized advanced technology, including computed tomography and innovative lighting techniques, to study the mechanism's fragments. X Tech developed a specialized CT machine named Blade Runner for high-resolution imaging, while Hewlett-Packard's Tom Malzbender created a lighting technique to reveal hidden inscriptions. These efforts unveiled new insights into the mechanism's intricate design and capabilities.

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Summary

00:00

Ancient Mechanism Unveiled: Timekeeping and Astronomy

  • Joe Marchant, a science journalist, discusses the Antikythera mechanism, a complex mathematical device found after 2,000 years under the sea.
  • The mechanism's discovery, mystery-solving, and implications for ancient Greek capabilities and modern science are explored.
  • John Harrison, an 18th-century clockmaker, invented the grasshopper escapement, crucial for accurate timekeeping at sea.
  • The Antikythera mechanism, using gears and wheels, predicted heavenly motions, showcasing ancient Greek engineering skills.
  • The mechanism was found by sponge divers in 1900 on a shipwreck near Antikythera, leading to a significant archaeological discovery.
  • The wreck yielded various treasures, including bronze and marble statues, armor, furniture parts, gold, jewelry, and pottery.
  • In 1902, a lump of bronze from the wreck revealed intricate gear wheels, scales, and inscriptions, baffling experts.
  • Derek de Solla Price rediscovered the mechanism in the 1950s, deciphering astronomical terms and operating instructions from inscriptions.
  • Price's x-ray analysis in the 1970s unveiled the internal structure of the mechanism, revealing its complex gear system for mathematical calculations.
  • The Antikythera mechanism's significance lies in its early use of mechanical gearing, a technology pivotal for modern timekeeping and automation.

16:37

Ancient gear mechanism reveals celestial secrets

  • Gear wheels with different teeth ratios can multiply or divide speed, similar to clock gear wheels that convert seconds into minutes and hours.
  • The Antikythera mechanism, deciphered by Price, contained a set of six gear wheels that translated input speed by 254 over 19, referencing the metonic cycle used by ancient Greeks to synchronize the Sun and Moon's motions.
  • The 19-year metonic cycle harmonized the Sun and Moon's movements, aligning phases of the Moon with specific dates.
  • The mechanism translated the Sun's speed into the Moon's speed, showing the Moon's phases in relation to the Sun's movement.
  • Michael Wright continued Price's work, discovering the mechanism's complex inner workings, including spiral dials for tracking lunar cycles and a lunisolar calendar.
  • Wright's model revealed the mechanism's ability to show the erratic motions of planets, a feature previously thought impossible by ancient Greeks.
  • A team led by Tony Freeth used advanced technology, including computed tomography and innovative lighting techniques, to further study the mechanism's fragments.
  • X Tech developed a specialized CT machine named Blade Runner to image the mechanism's fragments with high resolution and penetrating power.
  • Hewlett-Packard's Tom Malzbender created a lighting technique to enhance the visibility of inscriptions on the mechanism's fragments, revealing hidden lettering.
  • The collaborative efforts of Freeth's team, utilizing cutting-edge technology, unveiled new insights into the Antikythera mechanism's intricate design and capabilities.

32:41

Ancient Greek Astronomical Device Decoded

  • In 2016, researchers deciphered inscriptions on a device, revealing nearly 3,500 characters out of an estimated 20,000 characters.
  • The deciphered data transformed understanding of the mechanism, confirming Michael Wright's ideas and adding new insights, especially regarding the back of the device.
  • A new piece of the mechanism, found in the Athens Museum storeroom, revealed a bottom spiral dial with 223 divisions, aligning with the ancient Greek astronomers' 223-month eclipse cycle.
  • Inscriptions within the device indicated predictions of lunar and solar eclipses, including details on timing, eclipse types, and potential weather changes.
  • The mechanism featured a unique gear system with pin and slot components, mimicking the mathematical theory of the moon's motion by Hipparchus.
  • The gear system introduced a wobble in speed, reflecting the moon's elliptical orbit and axis shift every nine years, showcasing advanced astronomical modeling.
  • The mechanism's complexity included a turntable with 223 teeth, crucial for predicting eclipses, and additional wheels to simplify gear design.
  • The device, known for various functions like a calendar, eclipse predictor, and planetarium, also represented the Greek cosmos from both an Earth and celestial perspective.
  • The shipwreck where the mechanism was found, likely a Greek trading vessel, carried luxury cargo from the East to the West, dating back to 70-60 BC.
  • Clues from Cicero's writings and the device's design suggest it may have been constructed on the island of Rhodes, influenced by astronomers like Hipparchus and Archimedes.

48:16

Ancient device links to modern timepieces

  • The Antikythera mechanism has local names from a calendar in Northwest Greece, possibly customized for a customer in the region.
  • It is believed that there were simpler devices preceding the Antikythera mechanism, possibly developed over generations.
  • Archimedes, a renowned mathematician and engineer, is considered a potential inventor of similar models of the cosmos.
  • The device may have been a teaching tool rather than a practical instrument, designed to explain the workings of the heavens to a lay audience.
  • The technology of using gears to model the heavens survived into the Byzantine Empire, as seen in a sixth-century sundial with gear wheels.
  • A 12th-century manuscript from the Islamic world describes a similar device with gear wheels, indicating the technology's continuity.
  • The technology likely made its way back to Europe from the Islamic world, contributing to the invention of mechanical clocks.
  • The invention of mechanical clocks, with astronomical displays, suggests a direct link from ancient models to modern timepieces.
  • Ongoing research focuses on smaller details of the Antikythera mechanism, such as Eclipse prediction schemes and the motion of the Sun.
  • The relationship between practical models like the Antikythera mechanism and theoretical ideas about the cosmos is debated, with the possibility that machines inspired theories.
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