This 2,000-year-old computer is so complex that scientists are baffled
Discovered more than a century ago in 1901, the world's "first computer" has puzzled scientists. The Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek astronomical calculator, was first discovered in a shipwreck 2,000 years ago. The ancient invention is extremely complex and not completely understood. What exactly is the Antikythera mechanism and what was it used for, let us find out.
Why does this story matter?
The Antikythera mechanism is an absolute wonder but it is also a mystery. How the ancient Greeks managed to create such an advanced device in the 20th century is something that has puzzled scientists. The tool has been regarded with great interest but it was only in the late 1990s and early 2000s that it came to be fully appreciated.
What is the Antikythera mechanism?
The Antikythera mechanism is a hand-powered device, a clockwork model of the solar system. It has a wind-up dial system that contained dials for showing the position of the Moon, the Sun, and five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) that can be spotted with the naked eye. It is the oldest example of an analog computer ever discovered.
What was it used for?
The Antikythera mechanism is thought to have helped predict eclipses and assess the phase and location of the Moon. The device is said to have two rotating dials that show both solar and lunar eclipses. It may have also been used to track seasons. What's surprising is how the device would have been able to predict the Moon's cycle at a given time.
A 2021 study theorized how the device might have worked
In 2021, researchers from the University College London (UCL) sought to uncover the mystery behind the Antikythera mechanism. The team used 3D computer modeling to reconstruct the device to experiment with their hypothesis. Building on previous research, the UCL team used mathematical models to figure out new gear arrangements that would move the Sun, Moon, and planets on the tool.
The team used 3D modeling to reconstruct the ancient tool
Since only 82 fragments or about a third of the original tool were left, scientists had to work their way around that. While previous X-ray studies decoded the structure of the rear portion of the machine, until 2021, the tool's front portion was "largely unresolved." UCLA researchers predicted the device may have depicted the movement of the planets, Moon, and Sun on concentric rings.
Their research suggests how the device would have predicted eclipses
Given the fact that ancient Greeks assumed the Sun and planets revolved around Earth, the orbits of the celestial objects were hard to reproduce with gear wheels as opposed to modeling with the Sun at the center. The UCLA team also suggested the theory of a double-ended pointer they termed a 'Dragon Hand,' which would have helped track when eclipses were bound to occur.
'The first model to conform to all the physical evidence'
"Ours is the first model that conforms to all the physical evidence and matches the descriptions in the scientific inscriptions engraved on the mechanism itself," said Tony Freeth, the study's corresponding author, back in 2021. The study is published in Scientific Reports.
Antikythera mechanism fragments are stored at the National Archaeological Museum
Another widely debated topic is the calibration date of the Antikythera mechanism. While the studies in 2022 estimate the date to be December 23, 178 BC, some scholars believe it should be 204 BC. Currently, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens has all the parts of the Antikythera mechanism. Several other reconstructions and replicas of the ancient tool are also displayed.
