Scientists unlock mystery of 2,000-year-old computer

Scientists have unlocked the secret of an ancient device recovered from
a Roman shipwreck, saying the complex mechanism was used to track the
movements of the stars and moon.

The machine, believed to be about 2,000 years old, was discovered in
1901 on a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera
and embedded in rock. The strange wheel-like device with complex gears
had baffled researchers attempting to determine its purpose.

A fragment of the 2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to
be the earliest surviving mechanical computing device, is seen at the
National Archaeological Museum in Athens on Thursday. A fragment of the
2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to be the earliest
surviving mechanical computing device, is seen at the National
Archaeological Museum in Athens on Thursday.

But a recent study in the journal Nature has revealed the device, known
as the Antikythera Mechanism, was actually a complex means of tracking
the movements of astronomical bodies for use in navigation.

A team of researchers led by Mike Edmunds and Tony Freeth at Cardiff
University in Wales used X-rays to peer through the deposits covering
the mechanism, to uncover ancient script and clues on how the mechanism
worked.

"This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind," said
Edmunds in announcing the results. "The design is beautiful, the
astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just
makes your jaw drop. Whoever has done this has done it extremely well."

The researchers will be releasing their full findings of what they are
regarding as a 2,000-year-old computer at a two-day international
conference in Athens on Thursday and Friday.

Created between 150 BC and 100 BC, the mechanism contained 37 gear
wheels in a case of wood and bronze in a contraption that resembled a
clock. The gear wheels were designed to track the movements of the sun
and moon, and even track eclipses and the irregular orbit of the moon.
It may also have been able to follow some of the planets.

Also astonishing is the machine's use of a differential gear, a device
known to have been used in the 17th century but often speculated to
have been invented years earlier.

The device is an arrangement of gears that permits the rotation of two
shafts at different speeds. It is most commonly associated in modern
usage with automobiles, which use a differential gear on their rear
axle to allow different rates of wheel rotation on curves. The
intricacy of the device is also comparable to that of 18th-century
clocks.

'State of the art in astronomy'

"I'm very surprised to find a mechanical representation of this,"
Alexander Jones, an astronomy historian who works at the University of
Toronto, told Nature.

Jones predicts the mechanism will have a profound impact on our view of
the history of science.

"This was absolutely state of the art in astronomy at the time." ....

see
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2...mechanism.html
for source and more

Raving wrote:
Scientists have unlocked the secret of an ancient device recovered from
a Roman shipwreck, saying the complex mechanism was used to track the
movements of the stars and moon.

The machine, believed to be about 2,000 years old, was discovered in
1901 on a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera
and embedded in rock. The strange wheel-like device with complex gears
had baffled researchers attempting to determine its purpose.

A fragment of the 2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to
be the earliest surviving mechanical computing device, is seen at the
National Archaeological Museum in Athens on Thursday. A fragment of the
2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to be the earliest
surviving mechanical computing device, is seen at the National
Archaeological Museum in Athens on Thursday.

But a recent study in the journal Nature has revealed the device, known
as the Antikythera Mechanism, was actually a complex means of tracking
the movements of astronomical bodies for use in navigation.

A team of researchers led by Mike Edmunds and Tony Freeth at Cardiff
University in Wales used X-rays to peer through the deposits covering
the mechanism, to uncover ancient script and clues on how the mechanism
worked.

"This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind," said
Edmunds in announcing the results. "The design is beautiful, the
astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just
makes your jaw drop. Whoever has done this has done it extremely well."

The researchers will be releasing their full findings of what they are
regarding as a 2,000-year-old computer at a two-day international
conference in Athens on Thursday and Friday.

Created between 150 BC and 100 BC, the mechanism contained 37 gear
wheels in a case of wood and bronze in a contraption that resembled a
clock. The gear wheels were designed to track the movements of the sun
and moon, and even track eclipses and the irregular orbit of the moon.
It may also have been able to follow some of the planets.

Also astonishing is the machine's use of a differential gear, a device
known to have been used in the 17th century but often speculated to
have been invented years earlier.

The device is an arrangement of gears that permits the rotation of two
shafts at different speeds. It is most commonly associated in modern
usage with automobiles, which use a differential gear on their rear
axle to allow different rates of wheel rotation on curves. The
intricacy of the device is also comparable to that of 18th-century
clocks.

'State of the art in astronomy'

"I'm very surprised to find a mechanical representation of this,"
Alexander Jones, an astronomy historian who works at the University of
Toronto, told Nature.

Jones predicts the mechanism will have a profound impact on our view of
the history of science.

"This was absolutely state of the art in astronomy at the time." ....

see
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2...mechanism.html
for source and more


Does this mean that Charles Babbage is no longer the inventor of the
computer?

Double-A

Charles D. Bohne wrote:
On 1 Dec 2006 07:02:26 -0800, "Raving"
wrote:

Jones predicts the mechanism will have a profound impact on our view of
the history of science.

"This was absolutely state of the art in astronomy at the time." ....

see
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2...mechanism.html
for source and more

I saw it in Athens in 1973 ... it looked rusty but also very
impressive. While I could not turn my eyes from it, nobody else
took much note of it.
I don't if the information presented in that news story is new. it
certainly came as a large surprise to me, to read how intricate and
technologically advanced the antikythera mechanism happens to be!

I had no inking that such complicated and evolved mechanisms were
constructed at that time. I suppose the intricacy is consistent with
the craftsmanship skills required to make some of the jewelry. The
advanced knowledge of a mechanical device still surprises me. Are
there (m)any other examples of such things?

Cordially,

Raving

Compared to my instant action webtv my laptop came from the Ming
dynasty. Well it does type and print,and looks nice on my desk. Gives me
two email.( big shot) I might bury it in my back yard very deep,so when
dug up it will be 5,000 years old and that could be the best reason for
this piece of garbage Bert

Raving wrote:
Scientists have unlocked the secret of an ancient device recovered from
a Roman shipwreck, saying the complex mechanism was used to track the
movements of the stars and moon.

The machine, believed to be about 2,000 years old, was discovered in
1901 on a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera
and embedded in rock. The strange wheel-like device with complex gears
had baffled researchers attempting to determine its purpose.

A fragment of the 2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to
be the earliest surviving mechanical computing device, is seen at the
National Archaeological Museum in Athens on Thursday. A fragment of the
2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to be the earliest
surviving mechanical computing device, is seen at the National
Archaeological Museum in Athens on Thursday.

But a recent study in the journal Nature has revealed the device, known
as the Antikythera Mechanism, was actually a complex means of tracking
the movements of astronomical bodies for use in navigation.

A team of researchers led by Mike Edmunds and Tony Freeth at Cardiff
University in Wales used X-rays to peer through the deposits covering
the mechanism, to uncover ancient script and clues on how the mechanism
worked.

"This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind," said
Edmunds in announcing the results. "The design is beautiful, the
astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just
makes your jaw drop. Whoever has done this has done it extremely well."

The researchers will be releasing their full findings of what they are
regarding as a 2,000-year-old computer at a two-day international
conference in Athens on Thursday and Friday.

Created between 150 BC and 100 BC, the mechanism contained 37 gear
wheels in a case of wood and bronze in a contraption that resembled a
clock. The gear wheels were designed to track the movements of the sun
and moon, and even track eclipses and the irregular orbit of the moon.
It may also have been able to follow some of the planets.

Also astonishing is the machine's use of a differential gear, a device
known to have been used in the 17th century but often speculated to
have been invented years earlier.

The device is an arrangement of gears that permits the rotation of two
shafts at different speeds. It is most commonly associated in modern
usage with automobiles, which use a differential gear on their rear
axle to allow different rates of wheel rotation on curves. The
intricacy of the device is also comparable to that of 18th-century
clocks.

'State of the art in astronomy'

"I'm very surprised to find a mechanical representation of this,"
Alexander Jones, an astronomy historian who works at the University of
Toronto, told Nature.

Jones predicts the mechanism will have a profound impact on our view of
the history of science.

"This was absolutely state of the art in astronomy at the time." ....

see
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2...mechanism.html
for source and more

Raving wrote:
Scientists have unlocked the secret of an ancient device recovered from
a Roman shipwreck, saying the complex mechanism was used to track the
movements of the stars and moon.

The machine, believed to be about 2,000 years old, was discovered in
1901 on a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera
and embedded in rock. The strange wheel-like device with complex gears
had baffled researchers attempting to determine its purpose.

A fragment of the 2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to
be the earliest surviving mechanical computing device, is seen at the
National Archaeological Museum in Athens on Thursday. A fragment of the
2,100-year-old Antikythera Mechanism, believed to be the earliest
surviving mechanical computing device, is seen at the National
Archaeological Museum in Athens on Thursday.

But a recent study in the journal Nature has revealed the device, known
as the Antikythera Mechanism, was actually a complex means of tracking
the movements of astronomical bodies for use in navigation.

A team of researchers led by Mike Edmunds and Tony Freeth at Cardiff
University in Wales used X-rays to peer through the deposits covering
the mechanism, to uncover ancient script and clues on how the mechanism
worked.

"This device is just extraordinary, the only thing of its kind," said
Edmunds in announcing the results. "The design is beautiful, the
astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just
makes your jaw drop. Whoever has done this has done it extremely well."

The researchers will be releasing their full findings of what they are
regarding as a 2,000-year-old computer at a two-day international
conference in Athens on Thursday and Friday.

Created between 150 BC and 100 BC, the mechanism contained 37 gear
wheels in a case of wood and bronze in a contraption that resembled a
clock. The gear wheels were designed to track the movements of the sun
and moon, and even track eclipses and the irregular orbit of the moon.
It may also have been able to follow some of the planets.

Also astonishing is the machine's use of a differential gear, a device
known to have been used in the 17th century but often speculated to
have been invented years earlier.

The device is an arrangement of gears that permits the rotation of two
shafts at different speeds. It is most commonly associated in modern
usage with automobiles, which use a differential gear on their rear
axle to allow different rates of wheel rotation on curves. The
intricacy of the device is also comparable to that of 18th-century
clocks.

'State of the art in astronomy'

"I'm very surprised to find a mechanical representation of this,"
Alexander Jones, an astronomy historian who works at the University of
Toronto, told Nature.

Jones predicts the mechanism will have a profound impact on our view of
the history of science.

"This was absolutely state of the art in astronomy at the time." ....

see
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2...mechanism.html
for source and more
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/even...006antikythera

nightbat wrote

Charles D. Bohne wrote:
On 2 Dec 2006 13:46:43 -0800, "Raving"
wrote:

Sorry Raving, saw your answer only just now.


Jones predicts the mechanism will have a profound impact on our view of
the history of science.
"This was absolutely state of the art in astronomy at the time." ....


If this were true we had to rethink all of out history!


http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2...mechanism.html
for source and more

I saw it in Athens in 1973 ... it looked rusty but also very
impressive. While I could not turn my eyes from it, nobody else
took much note of it.

I don't if the information presented in that news story is new. it
certainly came as a large surprise to me, to read how intricate and
technologically advanced the antikythera mechanism happens to be!


General Bohne
That's exactly why they all preferred not to think about it.
They could not deny it's existence, but they considered it some freak
object.. and would have even preferred to assume that it had fallen
there from an other dimension or thru time itself :-


nightbat

Yes General Bohne very much like the coffee boys, Saul, and
Sidewalk guy when presented with historical recorded far advanced
knowledge.


Raving
I had no inking that such complicated and evolved mechanisms were
constructed at that time. I suppose the intricacy is consistent with
the craftsmanship skills required to make some of the jewelry. The
advanced knowledge of a mechanical device still surprises me. Are
there (m)any other examples of such things?


General Bohne
Not to my knowledge.


Cordially,

Raving


Cordially 2,

C.

nightbat

The Seans via Darla have informed of their helping humans
throughout history, so nothing new. The Romans burnt down the library at
Alexandria out of fear of documented super advanced knowledge base
logged there. The Roman foot soldiers more then likely saved secret
useful mechanisms as acquired bounty from higher ranked Legion leaders
knowledge at great risk of possible loss of life or freedom. The loss of
the great Egyptian Library no doubt left much history void to many
strange advanced concepts and inventions common to Darla Sean reported
visited civilizations.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is also one of the greatest mysteries unmoved
for centuries.

See:
http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomfr...%2Fsphi nx%2F


Also:
http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomfr...%2Fmpl_3_3.htm

And:
http://www.planetarymysteries.com/egypt/sphinxmars.html

Where the possible Sean Starship by Egyptians was buried is anyone's
guess, but under the Great Sphinx is a possibility.

ponder on,
the nightbat