Archaeologica.org

Scientists have discovered new meaning behind the functions of the Antikythera Mechanism, which has been referred to as the oldest known analog computing device. In addition to providing a means to calculate the dates for solar eclipses, the device apparently tracked the four-year cycles of the Olympiad.
From the New York Times article: '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.'

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... hère_1.jpg[/img]

Whole article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/scien ... ref=slogin (Reg required)

“And we don’t understand why this extraordinary technology apparently disappeared for several hundred years, later to emerge in the great astronomical clocks of the 14th century onwards.”

Maybe there was no need for it? If you're going to spend your time burning witches, who needs a calendar? It's always "Witch Season."

Did you say season of the witch?

http://www.last.fm/music/Donovan/+videos/+1-2Eo_-QjhcsU

That's an incredible looking er... thing.

Have you checked out the video presentation accessed via the New York Times report?

http://www.nature.com/nature/videoarchive/antikythera/

This shows a computer simulation of AM - brilliant!

Grumpage wrote:Have you checked out the video presentation accessed via the New York Times report?

http://www.nature.com/nature/videoarchive/antikythera/

This shows a computer simulation of AM - brilliant!

Bloody Hell!!!

That is just amazing!
Patience, and close observation skills translated to mechanics.
Just how crude was the world back when men wore skirts?

BTW rich,
Donavon was a good wordsmith, but his voice wasn’t up to it.
The Super Session version with Bloomfield, Kooper, and Stills is much better.
(But it is an 11 min. cut!)

I am quite amazed scientists are astonished by the the idea the ancients were tracking the 4 year olympiad cycle. Even a cursory examination of greek history and much of world history under the influence of the greeks, tells time in terms of the olympiads and we can be very greatful they did because it allows us to have very good precision today in reckoning ancient events. (Assuming of course, we accept 776BCE as the date of the first olympics)

That is an absolutely fantastic and sophisticated mechanical device. Makes me wonder what else was lost under the water and rubble.

I see a parallel with cement/concrete. The Romans used it. Then the technology was apparently forgotten for over a thousand years and only re-emerged with the medieval cathedrals.

Nice article in the New Yorker. It got me thinking about the relationship between genius and culture. It’s easy to generalise from one to the other i.e. the AM, as a work of genius, reflecting the cultural capabilities of the time (in this case the science and technology). Maybe. But the capabilities of one person may simply be no more than that. These people are exceptional and history is known to bury them without trace apart from an obscure reference or artefact to remind us. Culture decides what it is capable of, not genius. The AM may seem impressive but it may be nothing more than a historical blip.