2100yr old computer - Kinda wierd really...

[Neil]

I've seen this thing mentioned a number of times over the years - the Antikythera Mechanism. It was pulled up from an old Roman ship wreck in 1901. On examination, the encrusted mechanism appeared to made up of dozens of cogs.

What was it used for? Research seems to imply it was used for astronomical and calendar functions. Enter a date and it would calculate the position of the sun, moon and planets etc...

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44877000/jpg/_44877425_anti_antikythera_226.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Meccanismo_di_Antikytera.jpg

The real question is how such an analogue computer was on a roman vessel over 2000 years ago! When nothing else like it was seen until well over a thousand years later...

And what else was around that we didn't know of!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7533457.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
http://www.antikythera-mechanism.com/

Here's a reconstruction of the unit...

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42325000/jpg/_42325061_front_dials_300b.jpg http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42325000/jpg/_42325395_back_gears203250.jpg

[EvilNed]

Fit for another Indiana Jones adventure, I'd wager.

[Neil]

Fit for another Indiana Jones adventure, I'd wager.

Prepares for 'Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Windup Music Boxes'... :rolleyes:

[EvilNed]

Or Indiana Jones and the Radioactive Fridge?

[Mike70]

actually a study of it using x-ray tomography was just done and a report released (which i will look for in a minute and post). they found the names of all 12 months and the names of the 4 major panhellenic games (olympic, pythian, isthmian, nemean) on it. it now appears that it was a calendar used to calculate the appropriate time for holding the games. in addition to that it also appears it could've been used to calculate solar eclipses.

here's a link:

http://http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/31/technology/computer.php

[Neil]

actually a study of it using x-ray tomography was just done and a report released (which i will look for in a minute and post). they found the names of all 12 months and the names of the 4 major panhellenic games (olympic, pythian, isthmian, nemean) on it. it now appears that it was a calendar used to calculate the appropriate time for holding the games. in addition to that it also appears it could've been used to calculate solar eclipses.

here's a link:

http://http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/31/technology/computer.php

Read first link in OP :)

Quite stunning really! Amazed it lasted 2000 years under the sea!

[Mike70]

Read first link in OP :)

duh! sorry bout that.

[MikePizzoff]

This kind of freaks me out. I don't understand how someone could think up something so intricate and incredible that long ago... yet NOTHING of the sorts came after, until thousands of years later.

[axlish]

It is basically a 2000 year old Rolex. I bet ol' Lucius wanted to make sure he got back from his voyage in time for the javelin event (and the orgy that happened afterwards).

[Dillinger]

Indiana Jones and the forgotten tub of Molly McButter.

[DubiousComforts]

I bet ol' Lucius wanted to make sure he got back from his voyage in time for the javelin event (and the orgy that happened afterwards).
After all, necessity is the mother of invention. (And what a bastard child it is.)

[Publius]

The real question is how such an analogue computer was on a roman vessel over 2000 years ago! When nothing else like it was seen until well over a thousand years later...

Isn't it obvious? A time traveler tried to jumpstart the Industrial Revolution by a couple thousand years, made a good go of it, but his plans were thwarted when the ship he was on went down in a storm. ;)

[Tricky]

If the roman empire hadnt collapsed & plunged the world into the dark ages for centuries,we would probably be far more advanced than we are now!I think its fair to say theres nothing strange about them having that device,they were a clever civilisation and even now we're still the same human beings as they were,our brains havent evolved,we've just learned from hundreds of years of discoveries,mistakes & inventions to make us what we are now :)

[Neil]

If the roman empire hadnt collapsed & plunged the world into the dark ages for centuries,we would probably be far more advanced than we are now!I think its fair to say theres nothing strange about them having that device,they were a clever civilisation and even now we're still the same human beings as they were,our brains havent evolved,we've just learned from hundreds of years of discoveries,mistakes & inventions to make us what we are now :)

Don't forget this device came from the Greeks. It was probably more advanced than anything the Romans could produce.

Maybe they wanted to take it back home to understand it. Imagine if it had got there (instead of the boat sinking) and they'd worked it out... Could of moved the Roman technology on a lot and changed the course of history!

[Mike70]

have you ever heard of heron of alexandria? he was a greek engineer and scientist in the 1st cent. AD. he invented the first steam turbine/steam engine, the first automatic doors and the first coin operated vending machines, among many, many other inventions and discoveries.

this is a pic of replica of his steam turbine:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Aeolipile.jpg

funny thing is, this was considered a novelty in his lifetime. it was something he used to wow guests/visitors at parties. no one, not even heron, made the connection that with a little tweaking this machine, which was literally 1,700 years ahead of its time, would've been capable of great things.

[Neil]

have you ever heard of heron of alexandria? he was a greek engineer and scientist in the 1st cent. AD. he invented the first steam turbine/steam engine, the first automatic doors and the first coin operated vending machines, among many, many other inventions and discoveries.

this is a pic of replica of his steam turbine:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Aeolipile.jpg

funny thing is, this was considered a novelty in his lifetime. it was something he used to wow guests/visitors at parties. no one, not even heron, made the connection that with a little tweaking this machine, which was literally 1,700 years ahead of its time, would've been capable of great things.

Wow!!

[Legion2213]

I believe these things are known as "ooparts" (out of place artifacts).

Although they are facinating, I don't really think you can call the Antikythera Mechanism a "computer" surely it's more like a watch or a clock?

The Baghdad Batteries are also cool...they were made sometime around the time of Christ by most accounts...

http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/copper/images/battery.jpg

http://www.thestoneage.org/res/75.jpg