Scientists Move Closer to Understanding the Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera Mechanism is a Celestial computer that has blown peoples minds ever since it was discovered by sponge divers in 1901 off the Greek island of Antikythera , what the divers found was the world's oldest known analogue computer who's intricacy is astounding even today .

Even though only about 1/3 of the mechanism survived it's over 2000 year submersion in salt water investigations over the last few decades have unraveled some of it's deepest secrets but the face of the mechanism has remained a mystery .... until now perhaps.

Published in Scientific Reports, the paper from the multidisciplinary UCL Antikythera Research Team reveals a new display of the ancient Greek order of the Universe (Cosmos), within a complex gearing system at the front of the Mechanism.

Lead author Professor Tony Freeth (UCL Mechanical Engineering) explained: “Ours is the first model that conforms to all the physical evidence and matches the descriptions in the scientific inscriptions engraved on the Mechanism itself.

“The Sun, Moon and planets are displayed in an impressive tour de force of ancient Greek brilliance.”

The 30 minute video below delves deeper into both the artifact and the discoveries the team behind the research have made , if you're interested in the Antikythera Mechanism or the sheer brilliance of our ancestors it's well worth a watch.

“The classic astronomy of the first millennium BC originated in Babylon, but nothing in this astronomy suggested how the ancient Greeks found the highly accurate 462-year cycle for Venus and 442-year cycle for Saturn,” explained PhD candidate and UCL Antikythera Research Team member Aris Dacanalis.

Using an ancient Greek mathematical method described by the philosopher Parmenides, the UCL team not only explained how the cycles for Venus and Saturn were derived but also managed to recover the cycles of all the other planets, where the evidence was missing.

PhD candidate and team member David Higgon explained: “After considerable struggle, we managed to match the evidence in Fragments A and D to a mechanism for Venus, which exactly models its 462-year planetary period relation, with the 63-tooth gear playing a crucial role.”

Professor Freeth added: “The team then created innovative mechanisms for all of the planets that would calculate the new advanced astronomical cycles and minimize the number of gears in the whole system, so that they would fit into the tight spaces available.”

“This is a key theoretical advance on how the Cosmos was constructed in the Mechanism,” added co-author, Dr Adam Wojcik (UCL Mechanical Engineering). “Now we must prove its feasibility by making it with ancient techniques. A particular challenge will be the system of nested tubes that carried the astronomical outputs.”
www.ucl.ac.uk...

It makes me wonder how we are in such a mess now when we were so brilliant way back then.

a reply to: gortex

SnF for this find!

Mechanical watches are nothing but miniature Antikythera mechanisms.

Pretty amazing the complications that can be done in mechanical watches. Moon phases, Tourbillions...

This one is mind blowing...

originally posted by: gortex

It makes me wonder how we are in such a mess now when we were so brilliant way back then.

Religion.

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: gortex

It makes me wonder how we are in such a mess now when we were so brilliant way back then.

Religion.

Ummm...politics...





YouSir

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: gortex

It makes me wonder how we are in such a mess now when we were so brilliant way back then.

Religion.

So the Greeks didn’t have any religion back then? Really?

Not disagreeing, religion is really bad for society but so is petty squabbling to sound intellectual

originally posted by: YouSir

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: gortex

It makes me wonder how we are in such a mess now when we were so brilliant way back then.

Religion.

Ummm...politics...

YouSir

In the ancient world I don’t think you can separate the 2 easily. Seems to be the same today.

But, I don’t want to derail any further from the Antikythera Mechanism.

a reply to: gortex

There's a guy on Youtube who is making one of these. Or replicating the original.

www.youtube.com...

It's taking him a long time, but he's getting there!

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: YouSir

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: gortex

It makes me wonder how we are in such a mess now when we were so brilliant way back then.

Religion.

Ummm...politics...

YouSir

In the ancient world I don’t think you can separate the 2 easily. Seems to be the same today.

But, I don’t want to derail any further from the Antikythera Mechanism.

Ummm...actually Annee...that was exactly what I was trying to illustrate with the combination of your one word post and mine...

That point being that religion...is the politicization of spirituality...


But I too digress from the intent of the OP...I’ve always been fascinated by this Antikythera topic...and never really considered these ancient civilizations as primitive societies...




YouSir

originally posted by: YouSir

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: YouSir

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: gortex

It makes me wonder how we are in such a mess now when we were so brilliant way back then.

Religion.

Ummm...politics...

YouSir

In the ancient world I don’t think you can separate the 2 easily. Seems to be the same today.

But, I don’t want to derail any further from the Antikythera Mechanism.

Ummm...actually Annee...that was exactly what I was trying to illustrate with the combination of your one word post and mine...

That point being that religion...is the politicization of spirituality...


But I too digress from the intent of the OP...I’ve always been fascinated by this Antikythera topic...and never really considered these ancient civilizations as primitive societies...

YouSir

I saw your smile

I think I was just clarifying. Really don’t want to distract.

I’m an Ancient Alien believer — so, yes, this is fascinating to me.

I wonder how much this was worth and if it was mass produced or if it was a Kings Treasure.....I am thinking this is something of immense immense value.....but it could just be something most big Ships had as common as a compass.

a reply to: one4all
I was thinking the same thing maybe just maybe there are still a few of these stashed away in a cave or maybe an ancient buried basement.

It would have to be in an ancient city that still exists today but someone first has to discover it. Mass produced or one of a kind item only time will tell.

originally posted by: Themaskedbeast
a reply to: one4all
I was thinking the same thing maybe just maybe there are still a few of these stashed away in a cave or maybe an ancient buried basement.

It would have to be in an ancient city that still exists today but someone first has to discover it. Mass produced or one of a kind item only time will tell.

There is no way this is a one-off....no possible way...the forensic engineering aspect will show us an extremely lengthy timeline just to get to the point of being able to put that thing together..... there had to be Proto-types and models....multiply the Specialists we needed to figure this out by a factor of 10 and we see how many of the worlds then smartest People HAD TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED peripherally in the production of this beauty.

That could be common Anti-Diluvian technology carried on Ships or owned by Kings....but it took way to much input or a CONSTELLATION of inputs of such high technology and function to produce this item that I do not believe there was only one made.

Until HUMANITY MAKES A MILITARY FORCEFULL move to open up the Vatican vaults and Smithsonian Vaults and ALL MUSEUMS WORLDWIDE to .... WE THE PEOPLE....well until that happens none of us can ever say we lived a lifetime of truth.....we must all concede that we knowingly settled for lies and deceptions....we must carry that burden of guilt for giving our Children and our future a soiled sullied illusionary unstable future.

We will have to FIGHT FOR THE TRUTHS.

Sola Virtus Invicta

Yeah, this "mechanism" blows the standard historical narrative up. People don't really understand how complex a web of knowlege must have existed prior to making this.

It's one of the prime reasons I give lost civilizations/history credence.

There's really no way it was the product of a lonely genius.

ADD: Or what One4all said... heh.

originally posted by: Baddogma
Yeah, this "mechanism" blows the standard historical narrative up. People don't really understand how complex a web of knowlege must have existed prior to making this.

It's one of the prime reasons I give lost civilizations/history credence.

There's really no way it was the product of a lonely genius.

ADD: Or what One4all said... heh.

It is definitely complex and there is no way it was just a one off because the body of knowledge required to make something like that is pretty advanced. It isn't just knowing how to make it so all the gears interact but actually manufacturing the gears.

To put things in perspective, what often makes a high end mechanical watch a luxury and so expensive is the IN HOUSE MOVEMENT. It takes some serious engineering knowledge and big bucks to making the necessary tooling to make even a simple mechanical watch movement. When you start adding multiple "complications" it gets even crazier. A complication is any function beyond basic time telling... seconds hand, dates, chronographs, moon phases, tourbillions, etc.

The Anthikythera is literally just mechanical watch movement. I'd be curious as to how it was powered. Mechanical watches are powered by a spring that is either hand wound or has an automatic weight that winds the spring when the watch is moved.

I suspect it was a common navigational tool found on most boats at the time.

a reply to: gortex

Great stuff Gorty...I'd like to know more about the Moon, it seems the Greeks knew about the Moon's phases, while how related is that to the Antikythera machine per se?
Thing is, did they know that the Moon was gradually drifting away from Earth courtesy of Antikythera or pure observance..and how difficult that would be at any time in the distant past, although perhaps by extrapolation? where the drift, is really only based on singular continuity, while, like everything else, dynamics have a habit of cocking things up.
Yet and all, this latest concept of Antikythera seems to confirm what the Greeks understood about 2000 years ago, seemingly as we understand it now?

As for the Moon...it ain't going anywhere soon, and not later either.

a reply to: Edumakated

To make this into a useful navigation tool, it would have to have some sort of globe linked to the movement, so if you took an inclination of a star or planet, you would then have to have those angles triangulate to your position on the earth's surface at the time of observation. Like Venus is 45 degrees, the Moon is at fifteen, therefore the observed position for those angles has to be at x marks the spot. Like they won't be at that position again for a few years.

Clickspring is a pleasure to watch... a very talented fellow.
He makes his own files and drill with drill bits as per the traditional Greek methods of the time.
every thing is as per the original ways of working metal...hand filed gear teeth...think about it.
one does not whip one up of these in a week.a reply to: strongfp

a reply to: Edumakated

I'd be curious as to how it was powered.

It was operated by turning a handle on the side of the device.

I suspect it was a common navigational tool found on most boats at the time.

The complexity of the device suggests to me it was far from being a common navigational tool , I think it was more likely a gift from Greece to Rome as it was discovered in the wreckage of a Roman ship.

a reply to: gortex
I was under the impression it's an astronomical calendar.

Do they think it's actually a time machine or something⁉️