Ancient Greek "Computer" Deciphered

The New York Times reports:

The Antikythera Mechanism, sometimes called the first analog computer, was recovered more than a century ago in the wreckage of a ship that sank off the tiny island of Antikythera, north of Crete. Earlier research showed that the device was probably built between 140 and 100 B.C.

Only now, applying high-resolution imaging systems and three-dimensional X-ray tomography, have experts been able to decipher inscriptions and reconstruct functions of the bronze gears on the mechanism. The latest research has revealed details of dials on the instrument's back side, including the names of all 12 months of an ancient calendar.

In the journal report, the team led by the mathematician and filmmaker Tony Freeth of the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project, in Cardiff, Wales, said the month names "are unexpectedly of Corinthian origin," which suggested "a heritage going back to Archimedes."

No month names on what is called the Metonic calendar were previously known, the researchers noted. Such a calendar, as well as other knowledge displayed on the mechanism, illustrated the influence of Babylonian astronomy on the Greeks. The calendar was used by Babylonians from at least the early fifth century B.C.

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Comments

[kid5rivers2]

For those who don't know or who refuse to acknowledge it, Alexandria is in Egypt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria

[evgolightly]

Oh really? Gheeze we didn't know that!

Don't you understand that Greece is a fraction of the size it used to be during the height of the Greek Empire? And that Alexandria is a Greek name, after Alexander the Great?

The world has changed a little over the last 3,000 years ... go figure.

[Guynemer]

A couple of points:

First:
The Antikythera Mechanism was of Greek origin, not Egyptian and certainly not African. While pre-Hellenistic Egypt was certainly an advanced and respected civilization, there is no archaelogical evidence that suggests it was a center of engineering science. Prior to this invention many engineering and mathematical innovations found their way from India, through Persia, across the Mideast into Greece and over into Etruria and Rome - and then back again. Almost no innovation came from either Northern Europe or Africa.

Second:
Christianity did not herald or instigate the end of technological or cultural advancement. The very Christian Byzantine Empire was among the world's most technologicaly and culturally advanced civilizations for almost a 1,000 years after Christ. The weird revisionism that blames the decline of Western civilization on Christianity not only fails to take this into account, but also fails to note the waves of Goths, Huns and Vandals that descended on Rome and their new found access to iron and cavalry.

[MyTake]

Page 175 of Zecharia Sitchin's book; Journeys to the Mythical Past, shows clear evidence that the Antikythera Mechanism was not of Greek origin. Spherical astronomy and zodiacal constellations were known in the Mesopotamia (Sumer) period.

But the origin is not the point. Who did the mathematics, who made those celestial observations and what device was used for the precision cutting for those gears are the important questions.

[Guynemer]

"Spherical astronomy and zodiacal constellations were known in the Mesopotamia (Sumer) period."

This device used a differential gear, which was certainly unknown by any other culture prior to the Greeks, much less the Sumerians. If you have knowledge of a similar Sumerian mechanical device we'd all love to see it. Honestly, I don't really think they got much beyond the wheel and the lever.

[Guynemer]

btw, I believe there are "others". I just don't think they have anything to do with this device. I enjoy reading your stuff, though.

[themodernleader]

You Two. Thank you. You are a Prince(s). You are the best of the best. You think.

[coyote4]

This clever device is a reminder of what was lost when a C hristian Rome fell. Note also the Pantheon, a temple built for all-the-gods. It was constructed of concrete and still stands intact today.

Concrete, you say? Yes, that art was also lost and not rediscovered for many centuries. C hristian Rome, you say? Yes, St Augustine recorded the C hristian argument of the day, that the City of Man was unimportant. Focus needed to be internal on the City of God; let the barbarians burn Rome. Unimportant.

The failure of human civilization at that time was a C hristian failure, as C hristianity argued for an internal focus rather than concerns for the material world. The result was that civilization was not respected, valued nor defended; with humanity falling all the way back into "Dark Ages" where life was nasty brutish and short. And C hristians had ultimate control. The Kingdom of God on Earth.

If the C hristians had been less successful, we would probably be a space-faring race by now. Instead we are again suffering under a C hristian dominated A merican regime that again devalues civilization, hates science and pines for A rmageddon.

[GoodwithWood]

I have a fascination with antique planes. Wooden planes were around for a few centuries till in the later half of th 19th century when iron planes replaced them, or so it was believed. Artifacts from another Roman ship wreck turned up an iron plane, go figure.
Emperor Constantine and co. bright Christianity to the masses and all other gods, books and knowledge were banned and systematically destroyed/burned, including the Library of Alexandria. A tragic lose that helped bring in the Dark Ages.
Christianity is still to this day burning books and demonizing Knowledge.

GWW

[danoj]

Breaking News John McCain has reported a lost personal computer while sailing just nort of Crete.

[jtmoney]

Did it run on DOS?

[MagisterLudi]

please, no more lame computer jokes....

[MagisterLudi]

Some of the posts remind me of an old Russian joke.
Context: Russians, like all peoples with low self-esteem ( Mu$lims, blacks) forever claim that the West stolen their inventions.

Joke: Did you know that it X-ray was invented by a simple Russian peasant Ivan... in the 16th Century.....

Proof: On Sept. 15, 1546 Ivan looked at wife who was late coming home and said:" I see right thru' you, beetch!"

[SmokinJoeCalculus]

your post reminds me of racism and bigotry.

diaf

[themodernleader]

My Take. Instead of squandering your accute intellect on chasing little green aliens, you might inquire why great discoveries and technical advancements have been repeatedly discovered and lost in the spotty history of the human race. Your findings and conclusions should be written down for all to read, including yours sincerely..

[MyTake]

Well, get your shovel out and start excavating those ancient Sumerian settlements, examine the clay tablets and other artifacts and you can answer your own questions. I wouldn't worry about "little" or "green" races, I would worry about the big ones that took the Noah lineage and spawned it into 18 races of the day and a 6 billion population.

Just look at the results of the 10 year Human Genome Project completed in the nineties. The big brained scientists all had prognosticated that the genome would likely have 100,000 genes. Nope, it took 10 years to find that we have 28,000 genes and we "upright walking" humans have a 97-98% match to that of a chimp species. But magically, it was explained that two of the chimp chromosomes did a genetic back flip and joined end-to-end forming our very large #2 chromosome leaving we humans 1 chromosome short of our little 3 ft tall chimp relatives.

But the most suprizsing finding of all was that 300 of our genes were introduced laterally into the Genome and have no known precursor found on Earth. Boy, that one was swept under the rug in short order. So when the Genome project completed, we dived right into the genome of mice and rats! We didn't immediately do the genome of our chimp relative and do a cross comparison with ours to see what genes were spliced and diced!

Am I still squandering my intellect here?

[hoodydoody]

It was the first version of Vista, probably tossed overboard for being too slow!

[pbfishtaco]

DANGER Computer Jokes Ahead!

You may run aground, or sink from the weight of them!

[RaWash]

does it play restricted formats?

[rbenjamin]

Looks like it suffered a crash to desktop. Did it really sink, or was it pitched overboard by an enraged user. Inscriptions on the back a indicate that just as with today's personal computers, the device came with just a 90 day warranty.

[Titonwan]

Sadly, it was indeed a Windows based PC and crashed. The next one worked perfectly! Steve Jobs had a hand in the improved Apple version- the Kar Nak Pro.

[coyote4]

The most recent published findings of The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project, as published in the July 30, 2008 edition of Nature, indicate that the concept for the mechanism originated in the colonies of Corinth in Sicily which implies a connection with Archimedes. wiki

[Marlyn]

but what does it compute? the date? Is it similar to my calendar wrist watch? not exactly a computer.

[MagisterLudi]

http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/

[Kevbo68]

I totally want one.

Will it do that Krull thing if I throw it?

[MizLiz]

a Klavis, right?

[Radarman]

You missed it. Woot had'em up last week.

[coyote4]

You mean an Aletheometer?