World's oldest computer is more ancient than
first thought: Antikythera Mechanism was created in 205 BC, study claims
- This is according to Argentinian scientists who found eclipse calendar
- The calender included a solar eclipse that happened on May 12, 205 BC
- Previous radiocarbon dating analysis of had dates mechanism to 100 BC
- The study suggests the maths it uses is based is Babylonian arithmetic
- It predates other known examples of similar technology by 1,000 years
The rusty bronze fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism, the
world's oldest computer, are 100 years older than scientists previously
thought.
This is according to Argentinian researchers who found that
an eclipse prediction calendar - a dial on the back of the mechanism - includes
a solar eclipse that happened on May 12, 205 B.C.
Previous radiocarbon dating analysis of the remarkable
mechanism had provided a later construction date of around 100 to 150 BC.
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The Mechanism (pictured) was recovered from
a Roman cargo shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera. Previous
studies have shown it was used to chart the movement of planets and the passing
of days and years. Scans in 2008 found that it may also have been used to
predict eclipses
The study, by the National University of Quilmes, suggests
that the process in which the computer predicts eclipses is Babylonian
arithmetic, rather Greek trigonometry.
This ancient device 'predates other known examples of
similar technology by more than 1,000 years,' according to a report by John
Markoff in the New
York Times.
The highly complex mechanism, made up of up to 40 bronze
cogs and gears, was used in ancient times to track the cycles of the solar
system.
It was recovered in 1900 from the Antikythera wreck - a
Roman cargo shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera.
Scans of the mechanism in 2008 found that it may also have
been used to predict eclipses, and record important events in the Greek
calendar, such as the Olympic Games.
The scans also revealed the mechanism was originally housed
in a rectangular wooden frame with two doors, covered in instructions for its
use.
At the front was a single dial showing the Greek zodiac and
an Egyptian calendar.
On the back were two further dials displaying information
about lunar cycles and eclipses. The calculator would have been driven by a
hand crank.
Earlier this year, an expedition led by
the Greek government returned to the ancient shipwreck of Antikythera using the
Exosuit - a state-of-the art, deep sea diving suit
Antikythera (highlighted) which now has
a population of only 44, was once one of antiquity's busiest trade routes, and
a base for Cilician pirates, some of whom once captured and held the young
Julius Caesar for ransom. He later had them all captured and crucified
The device could track the movements of Mercury, Venus,
Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - the only planets known at the time, the position of
the sun, and the location and phases of the moon.
The researchers have been able to read all the month names
on a 19-year calendar on the back of the mechanism.
Scientists have suggested that the mechanism might have been
somehow linked to Archimedes, after a study found that language inscribed on
the device.
The inscriptions suggested it had been manufactured in
Corinth or in Syracuse, where Archimedes lived.
Jet-powered
Exosuit lets explorers walk the seafloor
But Archimedes was killed in 212 B.C., while the ship
carrying the device is believed to have sunk between 85 and 60 B.C.
'If we were all taking bets about where it was made, I think
I would bet what most people would bet, in Rhodes,' Alexander Jones, a
specialist in the history of ancient mathematical sciences told New York Times.
Earlier this year, an expedition led by the Greek government
returned to the ancient shipwreck of Antikythera using the Exosuit - a
state-of-the art, deep sea diving suit.
The group used the Exosuit to more than double the depth
they can dive at, and stay safely at the bottom for longer.
They brought back tableware, parts of the ship and a bronze
spear. The now plan to dive again next spring in the hopes of uncovering more
clues about the Antikythera Mechanism's history.
WHAT IS THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM?
An exact replica of the Antikythera
Mechanism is displayed in Corinth, Peloponnese in Greece
The Mechanism was recovered in 1900 from the Antikythera
wreck - a Roman cargo shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera.
It was discovered in a wooden box measuring 13 inchesx7
inchesx3.5 inches (340×180×90mm) and consists of bronze dials, gears and cogs.
A further 81 fragments have since been found containing a
total of 40 hand-cut bronze gears.
The mechanism is said to have been created in around 100BC,
and is believed to be the world's oldest calculator.
Previous studies have shown that it was used to chart the
movement of planets and the passing of days and years.
Scans of the mechanism in 2008 found that it may also have
been used to predict eclipses, and record important events in the Greek
calendar, such as the Olympic Games.
Astronomer Professor Mike Edmunds of Cardiff University said
at the time: 'It is more complex than any other known device for the next 1,000
years.'
The scans also revealed the mechanism was originally housed
in a rectangular wooden frame with two doors, covered in instructions for its
use.
At the front was a single dial showing the Greek zodiac and
an Egyptian calendar.
On the back were two further dials displaying information
about lunar cycles and eclipses.
The calculator would have been driven by a hand crank.
The mechanism recorded several important astronomical cycles
known to the Babylonians hundreds of years before that help predict eclipses.
These include the Saros cycle - a period of around 18 years
separating the return of the moon, Earth and sun to the same relative
positions.
The device could track the movements of Mercury, Venus,
Mars, Jupiter and Saturn - the only planets known at the time, the position of
the sun, and the location and phases of the moon.
The researchers have been able to read all the month names
on a 19-year calendar on the back of the mechanism.
The month names are Corinthian - suggest that it may have
been built in the Corinthian colonies in north-western Greece or Syracuse in
Sicily.
The device was created at a time when the Romans had gained
control of much of Greece.
The Mechanism is on display at the National Archaeological
Museum in Athens.
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2853082/World-s-oldest-computer-ancient-thought-Antikythera-Mechanism-created-205-BC-study-claims.html#ixzz3KSr68Zhw
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