I've mentioned The Antikythera "Celestial Machine" before; it's a hand-cranked analog computer built about 2000 years ago in Greece. It was used to predict the "proper" start dates for Olympiads, the positions of the planets, and other events. A finely crafted mass of copper and tin gearing, it far exceeded what most supposed were the mechanical abilities of what we blithely call "the Bronze Age."
It's back in the news for two reasons.
First, the dating of the artifact is getting better, and it's now thought to be at least a couple hundred years older than previously estimated. With every backward increment in time, the sophistication of the device become even more remarkable. The Bronze Age wasn't just a time of metal spears and plows.
Second, a noted maker-of-scientific-animations has produced an excellent one that shows how the device worked. And some working mechanical replicas also have been built! In all, it's pretty cool.
See World's first computer may be even older than thought for the latest news.
The Guardian (UK) has a nice page with photos and videos. See
The inner workings of the Antikythera mechanism
And for more models and animations, see The Antikhytera Celestial Machine: fragments of genius from a legendary science
Fred, you are a wonderful source of information. I am sure that you enjoyed the comments to the article "World's first computer may be even older than thought", they so belong to the dusty umbrageous silent rooms of old colleges where these strange humans live.
ReplyDeleteYes. In reading the comments there, I was waiting for someone to ask how many angels could dance on the gears of a 2000 year old analog computer...
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the New Scientist readership is odd, but in a mostly good way. The letters to the editor each week are amazing: Incredible brainpower among the subscribers there!
But yes: Definitely odd, too. =)
Fred - you are truly a multidimensional individual, with interests ranging from ancient computers to bread making to motorcycle road trips. It's great to see someone these days who values knowledge just for its own sake. Thanks for bringing these diverse and interesting articles to us.
ReplyDelete