The Antikythera Mechanism: The Ancient Greek Super Computer

Summary

The Antikythera mechanism, discovered in a shipwreck in 1901, is an ancient Greek analog computer dating back to the 1st century BC. Initially dismissed as a fake, it was later revealed to be an intricate device with at least 40 gears, capable of calculating celestial positions, predicting eclipses, and even the timing of Olympic Games. This remarkable piece of technology predates Western European mechanical clocks by over a millennium and challenges our understanding of ancient Greek astronomy and engineering prowess.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient Greek analog computer, predating digital computers by over a millennium.
• 🕰️ It was discovered in a shipwreck near Antikythera, Greece, in 1901, challenging the timeline of technological development.
• 🔍 Initially dismissed as a fake, it took until the mid-20th century for researchers to unravel its complex astronomical and calendrical functions.
• 📚 The device is believed to be an educational tool, used to demonstrate the motion of celestial bodies and predict astronomical events.
• 🔧 Constructed of at least 40 gears, it could calculate the positions of known planets, the moon, and predict eclipses and Olympic Games dates.
• 🛠️ The mechanism's precision suggests that it was not a one-off creation but possibly part of a lineage of sophisticated clock-making in ancient Greece.
• 🧩 It includes 'complications' for fine-tuning the observed motion of celestial bodies, which were not fully understood by the Greeks.
• 🌌 The device's design assumes a geocentric model of the universe, using epicycles to represent the motion of celestial objects around Earth.
• 🔬 Modern analysis using X-rays and CT scans has revealed the internal workings and the advanced knowledge of astronomy and mechanics embedded within.
• 🏺 The Antikythera mechanism was likely made of bronze, which may explain the scarcity of similar devices, as they were not meant to last indefinitely.
• 🤔 The existence of such a complex device raises questions about what other advanced technologies the ancient Greeks may have developed and lost to history.

Q & A

What is an analog computer, and how does it differ from a digital computer?

An analog computer is a computational device that uses mechanical principles to make calculations, rather than using digital mathematics like digital computers which operate in binary code (ones and zeros).

When were the first analog computers believed to have been invented?

The first analog computers, mostly astronomical clocks, were believed to have been invented around the 14th century.

What significant discovery was made near Antikythera in Greece in 1901?

In 1901, a significant discovery was made near Antikythera, Greece: an ancient shipwreck containing numerous Greco-Roman artifacts, including a mysterious box that turned out to be an ancient analog computer, now known as the Antikythera mechanism.

What did the mysterious box found in the shipwreck initially appear to be?

The mysterious box initially appeared to be little more than a corroded lump of bronze and wood.

Who first noted the significance of the gear wheel embedded in the rock, and what did he theorize?

Valerios Stais, an archaeologist at the Athens Museum, first noted the gear wheel and theorized that the device must have been some sort of ancient astronomical clock.

What were Derek de Solla Price and Charalambos Karakalos' contributions to understanding the mechanism?

Derek de Solla Price and Charalambos Karakalos used x-ray technology to examine the internal workings of the mechanism, producing detailed images of its 82 fragments and revealing its complex design.

What capabilities did the Antikythera mechanism possess?

The Antikythera mechanism could calculate the exact position and size of the moon over an 18-year period, predict eclipses, show the positions of planets, and indicate the timing of the ancient Olympic Games, among other functions.

How did the mechanism's construction challenge previous assumptions about ancient Greek technology?

The mechanism's complex design and precise craftsmanship indicated that the ancient Greeks had a far greater mastery of mechanical miniaturization and astronomical knowledge than previously thought.

What modern technologies are being used to study the Antikythera mechanism today?

Modern technologies such as microfocus x-ray computer tomography (CT scans) and polynomial texture mapping (PTM) are being used to study the Antikythera mechanism.

Why do some believe the Antikythera mechanism may not have been a unique device?

The precision and complexity of the Antikythera mechanism suggest that it was not the result of a lone experimenter but rather the product of an experienced maker or specialized workshop, indicating that similar devices might have existed.

What broader implications does the discovery of the Antikythera mechanism have for our understanding of ancient technology?

The discovery of the Antikythera mechanism suggests that ancient Greeks had advanced technological and astronomical knowledge, challenging previous assumptions about the extent of their scientific and mechanical capabilities.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 The Dawn of Analog Computing: Antikythera Mechanism

This paragraph introduces the concept of analog computing, contrasting it with the more familiar digital computing. It delves into the history of analog computers, mentioning devices like wind-up clocks and the astronomical clocks from the 14th century. The narrative then shifts to a pivotal discovery in 1901 off the coast of Antikythera, Greece, which challenged the timeline of computing history. The Antikythera mechanism, initially dismissed by historians, was later recognized as an ancient Greek analog computer dating back to the 1st century BC. The story of Captain Dimitrios Kondos and the sponge divers who discovered the mechanism sets the stage for the subsequent exploration of this remarkable artifact.

05:00

🔍 Unveiling the Antikythera Mechanism: A Complex Ancient Analog Computer

The second paragraph elaborates on the Antikythera mechanism's intricacies and its implications for our understanding of ancient technology. It describes the device as a sophisticated analog computer capable of astronomical calculations, predicting celestial positions, eclipses, and even the timing of the Olympic Games. The mechanism, believed to have been constructed with at least 40 gears, reveals advanced knowledge of astrophysical concepts that were not rediscovered in Europe until the 16th century. The narrative also touches on the device's potential educational use and its significance in challenging the prevailing view of Greek and Roman technological capabilities.

10:01

🛠️ The Mastery of Ancient Greek Technology: The Antikythera Mechanism's Mysteries

This paragraph delves deeper into the technical aspects of the Antikythera mechanism, discussing its complex gear system and its ability to reconcile solar and lunar calendars. It highlights the mechanism's advanced features, such as compound shafts and rod-and-pin gearing, which were not known to exist in ancient Greece. The text also speculates on the potential origins of the mechanism, suggesting that it may have been a common enough technology to have been mass-produced, indicating a level of craftsmanship and tool-making that was highly advanced for the time. The paragraph concludes by pondering the lost knowledge and technological prowess of the ancient Greeks, which the Antikythera mechanism has begun to reveal.

15:03

🌌 The Legacy and Lost Secrets of the Antikythera Mechanism

The final paragraph contemplates the broader implications of the Antikythera mechanism's discovery, raising questions about the longevity and preservation of such technological marvels. It suggests that the Greeks may have invented planned obsolescence, leading to the lack of surviving examples of their advanced horology. The narrative invites us to consider what other secrets may lie hidden, awaiting discovery in the Mediterranean or elsewhere. The paragraph also reflects on the ongoing research into the Antikythera mechanism, using modern techniques to uncover its secrets and the potential it holds for rewriting our understanding of ancient technological capabilities.

Keywords

💡Analog Computer

An analog computer is a computational device that uses mechanical principles rather than digital mathematics to make calculations. In the video, it is contrasted with digital computers, highlighting its historical significance and its mechanical nature, exemplified by devices like wind-up clocks.

💡Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient Greek analog computer discovered in 1901 off the coast of Antikythera, Greece. It was used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes. The video discusses its complexity and how it changed our understanding of ancient Greek technology.

💡14th Century

The 14th century is noted in the video as the period when the first known analog computers, mostly astronomical clocks, were invented. This timeframe sets the historical context for the development of early computational devices.

💡Captain Demetrius Kontos

Captain Demetrius Kontos was the commander of a crew of sponge divers who discovered the Antikythera shipwreck in 1900. His documentation of the incident led to the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism. His role is pivotal in bringing the ancient device to modern attention.

💡Greek Royal Navy

The Greek Royal Navy conducted the official investigation of the Antikythera shipwreck in 1901. Their excavation uncovered a trove of ancient artifacts, including the Antikythera Mechanism. Their involvement underscores the importance of state support in archaeological discoveries.

💡Bronze and Marble Statues

Bronze and marble statues were among the treasures found at the Antikythera shipwreck site. These artifacts highlight the cultural and artistic richness of the Greco-Roman period and the value of the ship's cargo, believed to be destined for the court of Julius Caesar.

💡Derek J. de Solla Price

Derek J. de Solla Price was a Yale University physicist who extensively studied the Antikythera Mechanism from the 1950s onward. His research, including the use of x-rays to examine the device, was crucial in uncovering its complexity and function as an ancient analog computer.

💡X-ray Imaging

X-ray imaging was a technique used by researchers, including Derek J. de Solla Price, to study the internal structure of the Antikythera Mechanism without damaging it. This method revealed the intricate gears and workings of the device, providing insights into its construction and purpose.

💡Astrophysical Concepts

Astrophysical concepts refer to the understanding of astronomical phenomena, which the Antikythera Mechanism demonstrated through its ability to predict celestial events. The video emphasizes how the Greeks possessed advanced knowledge of these concepts long before they were rediscovered in Europe.

💡Horology

Horology is the study and measurement of time, and the Greeks' development of the Antikythera Mechanism showcases their advanced skills in this field. The device's precision and complexity indicate a high level of expertise in clockmaking and mechanical engineering.

Highlights

Ancient Greeks possessed complex analog computers predating Western European mechanical clocks by over a thousand years.

The Antikythera mechanism, discovered in a shipwreck, is an extremely complex analog computer with at least 40 gears.

The mechanism could calculate the exact position and size of the moon, the positions of known planets, and predict eclipses and full moons.

It was initially dismissed as a fake due to the belief that Greeks and Romans did not possess such advanced technology.

Derek de Solla Price's research revealed the mechanism's impressive secrets and its connection to ancient Greek astronomy.

X-ray imaging and other modern scanning techniques have been used to understand the mechanism's internal workings.

The device includes a compound shaft with rod and pin gearing, technology not thought to exist in ancient Greece.

It demonstrates the Greeks' mastery of complex miniaturization and mechanical devices.

The mechanism's calculations are based on the geocentric model, assuming the planets and Sun orbit the Earth.

It contains novel complications for fine corrections of observed planetary motion, not accounted for in Greek astronomy.

The Antikythera mechanism could also predict the timing of the ancient Olympic Games based on inscriptions.

It was likely a teaching device used to explain the apparent motion of celestial bodies.

The mechanism's precision and design suggest it was not a one-off but rather the product of generations of clock making.

Modern reconstructions and studies indicate the Greeks may have been able to produce assembly line products.

The Antikythera mechanism challenges the assumption that Greek astronomy was learned from Babylonian observations.

The mechanism's discovery raises questions about what other secrets of ancient technology may be hidden in history.

Ongoing research applies new methods like microfocus X-ray and polynomial texture mapping to further understand the mechanism.

Transcripts

everyone today is familiar with the

digital computer a machine that deals in

ones and zeros a few million at a time

but have you ever heard about analog

computers or perhaps not as much as you

probably should have an analog computer

is a computational device that uses

mechanical principles rather than

digital maths to make calculations you

may have seen one or two in your time

like a wind-up clock for example quite

how long these devices have been around

is debatable but most agree that the

first analog computers mostly

astronomical Clocks Were first invented

in and around the 14th century there was

until one Discovery in 1901 near

antichythera in Greece which changed our

understanding of the history of

computers forever it was a discovery so

shocking that for nearly 70 years

mainstream historians of Technology

dismissed it as either a fluke or a fake

that is until a small group of dedicated

researchers unraveled its Mysteries and

proved that the ancient Greeks did

indeed possess astonishingly complex

analog computers of their own and nearly

a millennium and a half earlier than we

thought

[Music]

thank you

[Music]

One Day in the year 1900 Captain

Demetrius contos was in command of a

crew of sponge divers from the island of

Siamese as they plumbed The Depths off

of points glyphalia off the island of

anti-carethera always going well when

one of his crew surfaced in a panic

babbling about having seen a group of

ghost women or mummies at the bottom of

the sea divers often report strange

sightings but contos nevertheless

documented the incident and informed the

Greek government within a year the

Hellenic Royal Navy was back at the same

spot to investigate and what they found

would shocked the whole world there on

the sea floor the Greek navy discovered

an ancient shipwreck in a depth of about

45 meters and brought up a treasure

Trove of bronze and marble statues the

women the diver had seen as well as

Pottery glassware Jewels coins and a

mysterious box this was a cargo ship

full of many of the finest Greco-Roman

artifacts ever discovered we now believe

that it may have been destined for the

court of Julius Caesar himself a gift

from the island of Rhodes the items are

cataloged by by the national museum of

archeology in Athens where the box which

appeared to be little more than a

corroded lump of bronze and wood when

largely unnoticed as the curators of the

museum fast over the far more arresting

Vines like the coins and the statues and

yet of all the treasures this mysterious

Ghost Ship had given the world none were

greater than that little lump of bronze

and wood

[Music]

by May of 1902 Valeria stays at staff

archaeologist at the Athens Museum had

noted barely in passing what appeared to

be a gear wheel embedded in a piece of

rock he theorized that the device must

have been some sort of ancient

astronomical clock unbelievably Museum

officials dismissed the find reasoning

that the Greeks and Romans never

possessed that kind of Technology

meaning that the object must have been

coincidentally dropped off by a passing

ship perhaps a thousand years after the

initial shipwreck had occurred perhaps

Scholars lack of interest in the object

was a blessing in disguise there it's at

in the museum for nearly half a century

a curiosity neglected as human beings

went from the Industrial Revolution to

the computer Revolution its relative

anonymity meant that it remained

undisturbed and never disassembled until

1951 when Yale University's Derek Jade a

solar price took an interest in the

device a physicist and Clark fictionado

price would become the grandfather of a

modern understanding of the mechanism

pouring out the device's impressive

Secrets over the decades to come he

first recognized markings of the

calendar month Libra on one of the

visible gears as corresponding to the

ancient Greek dialect of the period and

place in which the Shipwreck occurred

beginning with the assumption that the

device was some kind of calendar clock

he set about reconstructing its possible

original design in order to convince the

curators of the Greek Museum price

needed to offer compelling evidence of

what the mechanism might be it took a

long time until 1971 for price and the

Greek nuclear physicist Shara lampos

caracolos to be given permission to

examine the mechanism together they

devised a method of scanning the device

using x-rays which enabled them to image

the mechanism they are by layer

revealing its internal workings without

ever destroying the machines a whole the

series of x-ray images the pair produced

of the 82 fragments of the mechanism

were revealed to the world in a 70-page

paper published in 1974. the result was

shocking a device so complex in its

design as well as in the knowledge that

it implied about the workings of the

solar system that many mainstream

scientists at first derived at it as a

fake

[Music]

throughout a subsequent half century of

study scientists are painstakingly

cataloged and examined every millimeter

of the mechanism today its origin is

without question in the academic

immunity the device is an extremely

complex analog computer once consisting

of at least 40 gears which would have

been capable of calculating anything

from the exact position and size of the

moon in the sky at any point during an

18-year period to the positions of every

then-known planet in their orbits it

could have predicted eclipses full moons

and even the speed of the Moon across

the sky and it would have told its owner

the future date to Olympic Games and

much much more the mechanism which some

believed to have been even larger and

more complex than what is now visible to

us reveals that the ancient Greeks and

Romans understood astrophysical Concepts

which were only rediscovered in Europe

in the 16th century or later including

lunar standstill or lunestus which

occurs when the moon reduces its

furthest North or South Point in a lunar

month and its apparent motion cease

what's more beta-vised ways of building

a machine to precisely mimic this

Behavior it also reveals a far greater

Mastery of complex miniaturization of

mechanical devices than anyone had dared

think existed in ancient Greece and Rome

around the first century BC it has

sparked the imaginations of thousands of

anthropologists and historians as to the

many secrets that may yet remain in

European history the mechanism is

constructed mostly of bronze in an

ingenious array of interlocking gears

which use complex mathematical

procedures to rectify the solar year the

amount of time it takes for Earth to

rotate around the sun with the lunar

month the amount of time it takes for

the moon to Transit between nodes in the

northern and southern hemisphere in a

19-year cycle that was only rediscovered

in the west during the Enlightenment

this means that the Greeks had a deeper

understanding of astronomy than had once

been thought and knowledge which rivaled

16th century science there are yet more

secrets hidden within the mechanism

contains a compound sent shaft a series

of shafts within shafts with Rod and pin

gearing again a piece of technology that

was not thought to exist in ancient

Greece which helps it to display the

position of both the Sun and Moon as

well as Venus Mars Mercury Jupiter and

Saturn and to predict their future

movement through mathematical

calculations carried out by compound

gears inside the mechanism the

mechanism's calculations occur when the

gears with different numbers of teeth

work together to recreate the

appropriate relative motion of different

celestial objects the side handle meant

to be operated by a person turns a main

gear which represents the solar year the

power from this gear is variously

reduced or enlarged by subsequent

connected gears to produce the motion of

different objects including the Sun the

moon the planets and the constellations

in order to achieve this a dazzling

display of mechanical workmanship was

required each gear must be utterly

precise and fitted ever so perfectly in

place for the device to have worked it

is in this way that the mechanism

calculates the future

bodies for example in order to calculate

the 19-year cycle in which the solar and

lunar years overlap and to accurately

show where the moon will be in the sky

at any given point during that cycle

gears that indicate the solar day and

the lunar day are connected by a series

of smaller gears which translate the

motion of the solar day into the

corresponding motion of the lunar day

the mechanism also appears to contain a

number of Novel complications a name

given by horologists for a device within

a device which subtly changes its

operation these complications seem to be

inserted into the mechanism in order to

make very fine Corrections of The

observed motion of the planet that are

not accounted for in the Greek's

understanding of astronomy and yet do

actually exist because of the Cycle's

implanetary motion which the Greeks saw

but did not understand this included the

way in which the elliptical orbit of the

Earth around the Sun or the movement of

the sun itself around its own center of

gravity where thus errors in their

observations which needed to be

corrected for mechanically in order for

the mechanism to demonstrate the

apparently irregular motion of the Moon

around the earth how the moon appears to

speed up and slow down in its orbit from

our perspective the mechanism uses an

ingenious series of compound canted

gears offset from each other and

spinning at different speeds which are

driven by the Central Drive Shaft but

which come into contact with the moon's

controlling gear only when the moon is

meant to be in motion and not when the

moon is meant to stop in the model what

is perhaps even more incredible about

this model is that despite the fact that

it can predict the positions of all of

the planets and the Moon and the Sun in

the sky it actually does this using the

assumption that the planets and Sun

orbit the earth thus a complex series of

canted Gears must be used to represent

the epicycles of each celestial object

circular movement around a fixed Center

of mass which was the way in which Greek

mathematicians explained the apparent

motion of the Sun and planets around the

earth it is not far-fetched to imagine

that if such devices had become really

widespread in the Greek and Roman World

some astronomers like Copernicus or

Galileo might eventually have been

inspired to solve the problem that kept

such models from functioning in periods

longer than a few decades indeed it was

the invention of precise time keeping

and exact observations of the heavens

that did later Inspire astronomers to

move past the model of the Earth as the

center of the universe

not all of the anti-cauthora mechanisms

abilities are known and it is now

believed that there were probably

additional gears and dials which did not

survive the device's underwater burial

however modern reconstruction shows that

the mechanism would have been capable of

reconciling the solar and lunar

calendars representing the precise

positions of each planet and the Sun and

Moon over a 19-year period the mechanism

would have been capable of predicting

solar and lunar eclipses and appears to

have been able to show the timing of the

ancient Olympic Games based on

inscriptions found on the back of the

mechanism five dials on the back of the

mechanism demonstrate the 235 synodic

months showing that the Greeks

understood 235 lunar months to be

extremely close to 19 solar years this

allows the user to set the current solar

day on the front of the dial and have

the Day translated to the lunar Day

within the 235 month cycle on the back

of the mechanism it's believed that

these calculations could have been

important for planning important events

such as military camp pains as well as

religious ceremonies particularly when

the ancient Greeks needed to know the

length of a day in the future and the

brightness of the moon on that day as

well as its position using this

mechanism a Greek or Roman general could

predict that the moon would be full and

located in one particular place in the

sky and that the day would end at a

specific time possibly conferring an

advantage in a nighttime attack

fragments of texts that were inscribed

on the front back and inside cover of

the mechanism showed that this was also

a teaching device that would have been

used to explain the apparent motion of

the stars and the planets possibly to a

young pupil or even a group of students

while of course all these calculations

very well could have been and probably

were done by hand the ability of a Roman

or Greek leader or teacher to visualize

the precise conditions on a day in the

future would no doubt be incredibly

useful there's no doubt that among the

many Treasures on this particular

shipwreck the Antica through a mechanism

was likely a central attraction probably

representing many thousands of hours of

skilled work many questions remain about

device's Origins and the maker leading

some to theorize that it came from the

hand of Archimedes himself while there's

no proof of this it's absolutely clear

that the maker had a very clear

understanding of all that the Greeks

once understood about the heavens and it

is extremely unlikely that this device

was just a one-off its workings are too

clever its craftsmanship too precise to

be the result of a lone experimenter it

was manufactured by someone and was

probably of great monetary value

[Music]

study of the antichythera mechanism is

ongoing as scientists continue to apply

new methods such as microfocus x-ray

computer tomography CT scans and

polynomial texture mapping PTM to try

and understand both the mechanism's

purpose and the means by which it was

initially constructed one of the most

important findings of This research is

the Revelation that whoever made it knew

exactly what they were doing and almost

certainly had made more than one such

device master clockmakers who have

studied the mechanism and some have even

recreated it using ancient methods notes

how the workmanship reveals no obvious

Corrections or the addition of materials

to a gear after it has been cut

indicating that the maker was extremely

masterful or that the workshop that

created it was specialized in gear

making to an extremely high degree this

may in fact be new evidence that the

Greeks at one time were able to produce

assembly line products and may have

owned very complex tool making machines

of which modern historians now know

extremely little however the mechanism

was made the maker had most certainly

done this kind work before when fully

constructed the anticothera mechanism

may very well have been the most

powerful analog computer ever

constructed at the time and yet the

Precision and confidence of its design

and execution strongly indicate that it

is the product of many years perhaps

even generations of complex clock making

that predates Western European

mechanical Clocks by over a thousand

years the Precision of the mechanism

also strongly indicates that the Greeks

were beyond the Babylonians in astronomy

and time keeping it had previously been

assumed that most of the Greek

understanding of astronomy had been

learned from the observations of

Babylonian astronomers centuries

previously but the anticothera mechanism

which includes complications in the

orbits of Venus and Saturn which were

unknown to the Babylonians also proved

the Greeks had surpassed their inherited

knowledge of the heavens these findings

present a great mystery what happened to

all the other evidence of these profound

Technical and intellectual gifts

possessed by the ancient Greeks one

answer maybe as simple as it is

frustrating it may be that devices like

the Antica through a mechanism

constructed of relatively soft bronze

and subject to inevitable tarnishing and

mechanical fouling were probably never

intended to last for centuries to begin

with the Greeks may have invented

horology the making of clocks but they

may also have invented planned

obsolescence the thing that keeps other

examples like the mechanism from

reaching us through the Mists of time

and it may be the same reason it's hard

to find an original iPod they just

weren't valuable enough to be preserved

if they stopped working it may just been

cheaper to build another this all leads

us to ask what other Secrets remain

buried in the Seas of the Mediterranean

or indeed all over the world just

waiting to be unlocked

[Music]

[Music]

thank you