Antikythera mechanism - an ancient artifact found in 1901 at the bottom of the Aegean Sea. To this day, he is considered one of the main mysteries of ancient civilization. This find debunked all the myths about the primitive technique of antiquity and forced scientists to reconsider opinions regarding the then technologies. Today it is even called the "first analog computer." Today we will take a closer look at this mysterious subject.
Discovery story
In the spring of 1900, two ships with sponge catchers, returning from the African shores along the Aegean Sea, dropped anchors off a small Greek island called Antikythera. It is located between the southern part of mainland Greece and the island of Crete. Here, at a depth of about 60 meters, divers noticed the ruins of an ancient ship.
A year later, Greek archaeologists began to explore the sunken ship with the help of divers. It was a Roman merchant ship that wrecked as far back as 80-50 BC. Among its ruins, many artifacts were found: marble and bronze statues, amphorae and more. Some of the works of art, raised from the bottom of the Aegean Sea, were in the Athens Archaeological Museum.
According to the most logical hypothesis, a ship loaded with trophies or diplomatic gifts was sent to Rome from the island of Rhodes. As you know, when Rome conquered Greece, a systematic export of cultural property to Italy took place. Among the finds raised from the sunken ship was a lump of corroded bronze, devoid of any shape due to the dense layer of calcareous deposits. Initially, he was mistaken for a fragment of a statue.
The study
The first research of that coma was conducted by archaeologist Valerios Stais. Getting rid of calcareous deposits, to his deepest surprise, he discovered a rather complex mechanism with a large number of gears, drive shafts, and also measuring scales. Ancient Greek inscriptions were also visible on the subject, some of which were able to be deciphered. Having lain on the seabed for about two thousand years, the mechanism was severely damaged. The wooden frame, on which, apparently, all parts of the device were attached, completely fell apart. Metal parts have undergone severe corrosion and deformation. The study was also complicated by the fact that some elements of the mechanism were lost. In 1903, the first scientific publication was published in which a description of the antikythera mechanism was presented - this is the name of the mysterious device.
Price reconstruction
The work of cleaning the device was very painstaking and lasted several decades. Its reconstruction was recognized as practically hopeless, therefore, for a long time the device has not been studied. Everything changed when he attracted the attention of the English historian and physicist Derek de Soll Price. In 1959, the scientist published an article, "The Ancient Greek Computer," which became an important milestone in the study of the find.
According to Price's assumption, the Greek antikythera mechanism was created in about 85-80. BC e. However, the radiocarbon and epigraphic analyzes carried out in 1971 pushed the estimated period of creation by another 20-70 years.
In 1974, Price introduced a theoretical model of the mechanism. On its basis, the Australian researcher Allan Georgie, together with the watchmaker Frank Percival, produced the first working model. A few years later, a more accurate copy of the anti-chewing mechanism was designed by British inventor John Glive.
In 1978, the French explorer of the World Ocean, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, went to the find site to find the remaining remains of the artifact. Unfortunately, his attempt was unsuccessful.
Wright reconstruction
A significant contribution to the study of the antikythera mechanism - the greatest mystery of Antiquity - was made by the Englishman Michael Wright, who worked at Imperial College London. To study the device, he used the method of linear x-ray tomography. The first achievements of the scientist were presented to the public in 1997. They allowed to correct and systematize Price's conclusions.
International study
In 2005, an international project was launched, called the “Study of the Antikythera Mechanism”. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of Greece, in addition to the Greeks, scientists from Great Britain and America participated. In the same year, new fragments of the mechanism were found at the site of the death of the Roman ship. Using the latest technology, about 95% of the inscriptions printed on the machine (about two thousand characters) were read. Michael Wright, meanwhile, continued his research and in 2007 introduced a modified model of an ancient device. A year later, a book appeared on the anti-cheater mechanism, which was published by the British scientist Joe Merchant.
By the joint efforts of scientists from different parts of the Earth, the artifact opens up more and more to modern man, thereby expanding our ideas about the level of development of ancient science and technology.
Original fragments
All metal parts of the antikythera mechanism that have been compared to this day are made of sheet bronze. Its thickness in different parts of the device ranges from 1-2 millimeters. As you can see in the photo, the antikythera mechanism almost completely corroded over two thousand years, but on most of its fragments one can still identify the elegant details of a complex device. To date, 7 large (AG) and 75 small fragments of a mysterious artifact are known.
The main part of the preserved elements of the internal mechanism - the remains of 27 gears with a diameter of 9-130 mm, placed in a complex sequence on 12 separate axes - was placed inside the largest fragment (217 mm), which received the index "A". Most of the wheels were attached to the shafts rotating in the holes made in the housing. Based on the outline of the remains of the hull (one face and a rectangular junction), it can be assumed that the part was rectangular. Concentric arcs that are clearly visible in the x-ray were part of the lower dial. Near the edge of the frame are the remains of a wooden plank separating the dial from the case. It is assumed that initially there were two such bars in the device. At a certain distance from the side and back faces of the frame, you can see the traces of two more fragments of wood. At the corner of the case, they joined in a joint with a beveled corner.
The 124 mm fragment B consists mainly of the remnants of the upper dial with a pair of broken shafts and gear marks. It is adjacent to fragment A, while the third 64-mm fragment (E), with another part of the dial, is located between them. By combining the parts described together, you can familiarize yourself with the back panel device, consisting of a pair of large dials. They are spirals of concentric converging rings placed one above the other on rectangular plastic. The first dial has five such rings, and the second four. F fragment, which was discovered already in the 21st century, also contains a part of the rear dial. Traces of wooden parts articulating in a corner are visible on it.
Fragment C has a size of the order of 120 millimeters. Its biggest element is the corner of the dial of the left side, forming the main "display". This dial had two concentric graduated scales. The first of them was cut from the outside of a large round hole directly on the plate. On the scale were applied 360 divisions, divided into 12 groups of 30 divisions. Each of the groups was named after the zodiac sign. The second scale was already divided into 365 divisions, also divided into 12 groups, called the months of the Egyptian calendar.
Near the corner of the dial was a small valve that actuated the trigger lever. She served to fix the dial. On the back of the fragment is a concentric part with the remains of a tiny gear wheel. It was part of a mechanism that displays information about the phases of the moon.
On all the fragments described, traces of bronze plates are visible, which were installed on top of the dials and contained various inscriptions. What remains of them after cleaning the artifact is now called a fragment of G. Basically, these are the smallest scattered pieces of bronze.
Fragment D has two wheels that are combined with one another with the help of a thin plate laid between them. Their shape is slightly different from the round, and the shaft on which they, apparently, should have been mounted, is missing. On the other fragments that have reached us, these wheels did not have a place, therefore, their true purpose can be established only approximately.
All fragments of the artifact are in storage at the Athens National Archaeological Museum. Some of them are on display.
Appointment of an anti-knitting mechanism
Even at the beginning of the study, thanks to the scales and inscriptions preserved on the mechanism, it was identified as a kind of astronomical device. According to the first hypothesis, it was a navigation tool like astrolabe - a circular map of the starry sky with devices for astronomical observations, in particular for determining the coordinates of stars. The invention of astrolabe is attributed to the ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus, who lived in the second century BC. However, it soon became clear that the find was a much more complex device. In terms of complexity and miniaturization, the Greek antikythera mechanism can be compared with the astronomical clock of the 18th century. It includes more than three dozen gears. Their teeth are made in the form of equilateral triangles. The number of teeth in the antikythera mechanism cannot be calculated, due to the lack of many elements. The high complexity of manufacturing and its impeccable accuracy suggest that this device had predecessors, but they were never found.
The second hypothesis suggests that the artifact is a “flat” version of the mechanical celestial globe created by Archimedes (about 287-212 BC), which was mentioned by ancient authors. For the first time about this globe was mentioned by Cicero in the first century BC. e. How this device was arranged inside is still unknown. There is an assumption that it consisted of a complex system of gears, as well as an antikythera mechanism. Cicero also wrote about another similar device created by Posidonius (approximately 135-51 BC). Thus, the existence of ancient mechanisms comparable in sophistication to a find of the beginning of the 20th century is confirmed by ancient authors.
In 1959, Price put forward the hypothesis that the Greek artifact is a device for determining the position of the moon and the sun relative to fixed stars. The scientist called the device an "ancient Greek computer", meaning by this definition mechanical computing device.
Further study of the fascinating find showed that it is a calendar and astronomical calculator that was used to predict the location of celestial bodies and demonstrate their movement. Thus, this mechanism was much more complex than the celestial globe of Archimedes.
According to one hypothesis, the device in question was created at the Academy of the Stoic philosopher Posidonius, located on the island of Rhodes, which at that time had the glory of the center of astronomy and "mechanical engineering". It was assumed that the development of the mechanism belonged to the astronomer Hipparchus, since the ideas of his theory about the motion of the moon were implemented in the artifact. However, the conclusions of the participants in the international research project published in the summer of 2008 suggest that the concept of the device appeared in the colonies of Corinth, whose scientific traditions came from Archimedes.
Front Panel
Due to the poor preservation and fragmentation of parts that have reached modern man, the reconstruction of the antikythera mechanism can only be hypothetical. Nevertheless, thanks to the painstaking work of scientists, you and I can generally outline the principle of operation and function of the device.
It is assumed that after setting the date, the device was activated by rotating the knob located on the side of the case. The large 4-spoke wheel was connected with numerous gears rotating at different speeds and mixing the dial indicators.
The movement had three main calibrated dials: two on the rear panel and one on the front. On the front panel two scales were depicted: movable inner and fixed outer. The first had 365 divisions, meaning the number of days in a year. The second was an ecliptic (a circle of the celestial sphere along which the sun moves throughout the year), divided into 360 degrees and 12 sectors with zodiac signs. Surprisingly, on this device it was even possible to correct the calendar error caused by the fact that there are 365.2422 days in a year. To do this, every four years the dial was rotated by one division. The Julian calendar, in which every fourth year is a leap year, was not there then.
It is likely that the front dial had at least three hands: one indicated the date, and the other two the position of the moon and the sun relative to the ecliptic. In this case, the arrow of the position of the moon took into account the features of its movement, discovered by Hipparchus. Hipparchus revealed that the satellite’s orbit is in the form of an ellipse, which 5 degrees off the Earth’s orbit. Near the perigee, the moon moves more slowly along the ecliptic, and faster at the peak. A tricky gear system was used on the instrument to portray this unevenness. Most likely, there was a similar mechanism that displayed the movement of the Sun at a discount on Hipparchus' theory, but it did not survive.
On the front panel was also an indicator of the phases of the moon. The spherical model of the planet was half black, half silver plated. She was seen in different positions from a round window, demonstrating the current phase of the Earth's satellite.
It is believed that the most mysterious invention of antiquity, the antikythera mechanism, could indicate five planets, which at that time were known to Greek scientists. We are talking about Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. However, of the transmissions that could be responsible for this function, only one was found (fragment D), but they are not taken to judge its purpose unambiguously.
The thin bronze plate covering the front of the dial had the so-called "parapegma" - an astronomical calendar indicating the sunrises and sunsets of individual constellations and stars. The names of each star were indicated by the Greek letter, which corresponded to the same letter on the zodiac scale.
Rear panel
The upper dial of the back panel was made in the form of a spiral with five turns, each of which had 47 compartments. Thus, it turned out 235 branches displaying the Meton Cycle, proposed by the astronomer and mathematician Meton back in 433 BC. e. This cycle was used to coordinate the duration of the lunar month and the solar year. It is based on approximate equality: 235 synodic months = 19 tropical years.
In addition, on the upper dial there was an auxiliary dial, divided into four sectors. Scientists suggested that his pointer showed the “Kalyppov cycle”, which consists of four “Meton cycles” with the deduction of one day, which served to refine the calendar. However, already in 2008, researchers found on this dial the names of four Panellian games: Isthmian, Olympic, Nemean and Pythian. His hand, most likely, was included in the general transfer and made a quarter turn in a year.
The lower part of the back panel received a spiral dial with 223 compartments. He showed the cycle of Saros - the period after which, as a result of the repetition of the location of the Moon, the Sun and the nodes of the Moon's orbit relative to each other, eclipses are repeated: solar and lunar. 223 - the number of synodic months. Since Saros is not equal to the exact number of days, in each new cycle, eclipses occur 8 hours later. It is also worth considering that a lunar eclipse can be seen from all over the night hemisphere of the Earth, while a solar eclipse is visible only from the region of the lunar shadow, which varies each year. In each new Saros, the solar eclipse band shifts toward the west by 120 degrees. In addition, it can shift south or north.
On the dial scale, showing the Saros cycle, there are symbols Σ (lunar eclipse) and Η (solar eclipse), as well as digital symbols indicating the date and time of these eclipses. In the process of studying the artifact, scientists established a correlation of these data with the data of real observations.
On the back there was another dial displaying the “Exeligmos cycle”, or “triple Saros”. It displayed the repetition period of solar and lunar eclipses in whole days.
Cinema and literature
To get even closer acquainted with this mysterious artifact, you can watch documentaries. The antikythera mechanism has more than once become a topic for cinema. Below are the main pictures about him:
- “From the point of view of science. Star Clock. " This film about the antikythera mechanism was shot by the American channel National Geographic in 2010. It tells the story of the study of the device and clearly shows its sophisticated principle of operation.
- “The world's first computer. The answer to the antikythera mechanism. ” This film was shot in 2012 by Images First Ltd. It also contains many fascinating facts and illustrative illustrations.
With regard to literature, the main book on the anti-cheetah mechanism is the book of Joe Merchant. The British journalist and writer devoted much time to the study of archeology and ancient astronomy. This work is called “Antikythera mechanism. The most mysterious invention of Antiquity. " In FB2, TXT, PDF, RTF and other popular formats, anyone can download it. The work was written in 2008. In a work on the anti-Quiter mechanism, Merchant tells not only about how the artifact was found and how scientists discovered its secrets, but also about the difficulties that researchers encountered on their way.