Steampunk!
November 29, 2006
The delicate workings at the heart of a 2,000-year-old analogue computer have been revealed by scientists.
The Antikythera Mechanism, discovered more than 100 years ago in a Roman shipwreck, was used by ancient Greeks to display astronomical cycles.
Using advanced imaging techniques, an Anglo-Greek team probed the remaining fragments of the complex geared device.
The results, published in the journal Nature, show it could have been used to predict solar and lunar eclipses.
The elaborate arrangement of bronze gears may also have displayed planetary information.
“This is as important for technology as the Acropolis is for architecture,” said Professor John Seiradakis of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, and one of the team. “It is a unique device.”
However, not all experts agree with the team’s interpretation of the mechanism.
“When you see it your jaw just drops and you think, ‘bloody hell that’s clever’”
Mike Edmunds
Cardiff University
One Response to “Steampunk!”
Gears…I “get” gears…this is obviously my level of technology.
By mim on Nov 30, 2006