Antikythera Mechanism ancient Greek clockwork

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Antikythera Mechanism ancient Greek clockwork

by Gaeia @ 2012-06-29 – 03:09:27

WHAT HAPPENED TO GREECE? CAN'T THEY COUNT ANYMORE?

For a country that dominated and Colonised every country around the 'Mediterranean Sea' up to Persia, and invented so many things, including science and technology, philosophy, wisdom and logic, they are doing some major mistakes in this century, as far as selling Drachma coin currencies in drift-shops these days.

Ancient Greek mathematics contributed many important developments to the field of mathematics, including the basic rules of geometry, the idea of formal mathematical proof, and discoveries in number theory, mathematical analysis, applied mathematics, and approached close to establishing integral calculus.

The discoveries of several Greek mathematicians, including Pythagoras, Euclid, and Archimedes, are still used in mathematical teaching today. The Antikythera mechanism was an analog computer from 150–100 BC designed to calculate the positions of astronomical objects.

Antikythera mechanism

Curator Michael Wright shows off his model of the Antikythera mechanism. The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient Greek clockwork machine found in a shipwreck, that has taken more than a century to decipher. Wright's handmade reconstruction is the first to include all the known features of this complex device.

Antikythera mechanism working model
http://youtu.be/4eUibFQKJqI

More than 21 centuries ago, a mechanism of fabulous ingenuity was created in Greece, a device capable of indicating exactly how the sky would look for decades to come -- the position of the moon and sun, lunar phases and even eclipses. But this incredible invention would be drowned in the sea and its secret forgotten for two thousand years.

This video is a tribute from Swiss clock-maker Hublot and film-maker Philippe Nicolet to this device, known as the Antikythera Mechanism, or the world's "first computer". The fragments of the Mechanism were discovered in 1901 by sponge divers near the island of Antikythera. It is kept since then at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece.

For more than a century, researchers were trying to understand its functions. Since 2005, a pluridisciplinary research team, the "Antikythera Mechanism Research Project", is studying the Mechanism with the latest high tech available.

The results of this ongoing research has enabled the construction of many models. Amongst them, the unique mechanism of a watch, designed by Hublot as a tribute to the Mechanism, is incorporating the known functions of this mysterious and fascinating ancient Mechanism.

A model of the Antikythera Mechanism, built by the Aristotle University in Greece, together with the mechanism of the watch and this film in 3D are featuring in an exhibition about the Mechanism that is taking place in Paris, at the Musée des Arts et Métiers.

VIDEO about the machine (the very first computer)

The Antikythera Mechanism - 2D
Uploaded by antikythera2012 on Jun 25, 2011
http://youtu.be/UpLcnAIpVRA

The Antikythera Mechanism - 3D.

The antikythera mechanism is currently housed in the Greek National Archaeological Museum in Athens and is thought to be one of the most complicated antiques in existence.
http://youtu.be/L1CuR29OajI

Amazing must see videos!
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19 Comments to Antikythera Mechanism ancient Greek clockwork

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- HELLena
- 2012-06-29 @ 08:41:11
Interesting machines buried at sea for many centuries, so what happened to Greece's education and logic? Too many refugees that sucked up the country's resources!!

Hell
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- Mispon
- 2012-06-29 @ 18:24:44
Amazing! So in other world they invented time and how to track it? Who would have known during the Greek era that it would have so many struggle 2000 years later!?

Mispon
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- Canuckers
- 2012-06-30 @ 02:42:55
BRILLIANT invention!!!!

We hear stories about Greece might and strength where are they now, indeed!! The final ultimate downfall of Greece came in 88 BC, when King Mithridates of Pontus rebelled against Rome, and massacred up to 100,000 Romans and Roman allies across Asia Minor.

Although Mithridates was not Greek, many Greek cities, including Athens, overthrew their Roman puppet rulers and joined him. When he was driven out of Greece by the Roman general Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Roman vengeance fell upon Greece again, and the Greek cities never recovered. Mithridates was finally defeated by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) in 65 BC.
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- Farkous
- 2012-06-30 @ 06:57:08
Such and amazing machine The "Antikythera Mechanism" one of the kind!

Scientist have gone off to the new world, I think Greece needs some good role models which they have lost because of the lack of motivation by example and the desire to learn something useful.

Actually Sophocles said: "Success is dependent on effort."

Tarek
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- Farkous
- 2012-06-30 @ 07:09:45
Antikythera Mechanism Part 1: by Nature Video

New interpretations of the Antikythera Mechanism reveal that it could be used to predict eclipses, and that it had a dial recording the dates of the ancient Olympiads.

The 2,000-year-old box of intricate gearwork provides a glimpse of the engineering prowess of the Hellenic world. The team discuss their results here.

Uploaded by NatureVideoChannel on Dec 11, 2008
http://youtu.be/DiQSHiAYt98
Antikythera Mechanism Part 2: by Nature Video
http://youtu.be/znM0-arQvHc

Another theory
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- Olympia
- 2012-06-30 @ 21:20:08
Stupendous machine!!! I cannot stop watching the videos about it, I'm so awed..... after this, it makes me sad for Greece's downfall and struggle they are into, I have been there during the Olympic Games it was marvellously cool!!

Oly
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- Dr-Chomp
- 2012-06-30 @ 22:02:25
OUTSTANDING!!

I have previously seen the Antikythera Mechanism, and even discussed it for a while on Yahoo.360 - it's never too much to point this out, thanks, I see that more documentaries have been posted on youtube!!

Chomp
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- Camiella
- 2012-07-01 @ 17:33:12
The scientist needed an entire team to find out what it was, later the 2,000-year-old box of intricate gearwork provided a view of the engineering prowess of the Hellenic World, maybe something one person made that time, amazing machine as good as a Swiss box. Greek should wake up and get some energy to learn from this...

...Camiella
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- Dapheulia
- 2012-07-02 @ 04:57:30
Wise minds burns down when not used, it often happens during war-times, a lot of productive inventions gets lost and nature takes it back!!
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- YUbin
- 2012-07-03 @ 04:28:32
Frankly, I'm totally charmed about the finding and revelation, the videos on Antikythera Mechanism explains it all wonderfully!!!!
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- HÅKON
- http://politiquor.blog.ca/
- 2012-07-04 @ 08:10:59
The Greeks lost most of the scientific knowledge with repeat burnings of the Library of Alexandria by religious barbarians as we now see in Timbuktu, including knowledge of the atom, or the solar system, the human body, etc.

Intellectual progress was set back 2000 years by the vandalism of ignorance, which constantly checked to destroy progress in any age.

The Antikythera Device was partially ahead of its time, and belonged to an age of progress which was interrupted by religious reactionaries.

HÅKON
- - BeeBea9
  - 2012-07-05 @ 00:32:11
  So sad to know that religious groupies with overwhelming ignorance have done a lot of harm for human advancement!!
  
  Bea9
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- Chappy
- 2012-07-04 @ 19:36:14
Don't you just love the replica to study how Antikythera Mechanism worked?

Only technicians and scientists are able to do this, and it wouldn't have been done if the other European explorers haven't given out their knowledge in teams!!

CONGRATS great one, this should be named the topic of the month!!
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- Cheryne
- 2012-07-05 @ 21:52:45
So much to discover and learn from the past, this is why when we go into a museum it's better to take our time and focus on one piece to find out its deep history, meaning and why an object was invented, now -- at the present time that Greece went into a downfall so fast with all of that is mind-boggling!

Chery
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- McZarina
- 2012-07-09 @ 09:25:24
That was in the news a while ago, and of course it is very much appreciated to revive it now during these days of depression - also I want to remind everyone that it isn't a permanent thing, sometimes things go down and up again!

Marina
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- FaTexan-Bell
- 2012-07-09 @ 20:20:13
So true the ancient Greeks were so ahead from the Romans and the Byzantine, but they all fell down and low into incognito.

Something to study about further more and deeper to past history to know why and what really happened, seen that only a foreign group of scientists have taken the task to discover what this machine was about and what for as a usage tool... kudos to them all, including the Greeks for letting this happen, so many countries ban external scientist into their antiquities!!

CreeKree
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- i-Dorru
- 2012-07-10 @ 01:45:26
Extremely complex machine, I admirer how a team took their time to reconstruct it - meticulously!!

Dedorru
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- Jesulvis
- 2012-07-11 @ 04:29:35
Perfect discovery of a great object, reconstruction and machine analysis!!

Thank you to the scuba diver, scientists and you for talking about it!!

Dave
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- Chappy
- 2013-01-06 @ 16:07:57
(how they found it, awesome documentary I want to share here)

Ancient Discoveries - The Antikythera Machine
http://youtu.be/-KO4-zx9buc

Chappy
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