Mar 15, 2021 12:30:00

A restoration model is created to unravel the structure of the world's oldest computer 'Antikythera mechanism' made in BC

by Tony Freeth / UCL

A restored CG model of the

'Antikythera Machine ', a gear-type machine created in BC and also known as the world's oldest analog calculator, was created.

A Model of the Cosmos in the ancient Greek Antikythera Mechanism | Scientific Reports
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-84310-w

Scientists unlock the'Cosmos' on the Antikythera Mechanism, the world's first computer | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/antikythera-mechanism-worlds-first-computer-modeled.html

Scientists solve another piece of the puzzling Antikythera mechanism | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/03/scientists-solve-another-piece-of-the-puzzling-antikythera-mechanism/

The world's oldest analog computer, the Antikythera Machine, is a gear-type machine that is said to have been manufactured from the 3rd century BC to the middle of the 1st century BC. The 'Antikythera Mechanism' was recovered from a shipwreck discovered underwater by Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais in 1900. What was discovered was a shoebox-sized piece, but it is believed to have been a 'device for predicting the movement of celestial bodies' consisting of multiple gears.

The fragments of the 'Antikythera mechanism' recovered from the shipwreck are as follows. It is estimated that it is a part that makes up about one-third of the total.

by National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece

Although many years of research and debate have been carried out on 'Antikythera mechanism', the recovered debris is in a state of being corroded to pieces and has a precise mechanism that does not seem to have been made in BC. Because of that, I couldn't completely reproduce the structure.

However, researchers at University College London have succeeded in reproducing the entire structure of the 'Antikythera mechanism' from the formula used in the 'Antikythera mechanism'. A research treatise on the restoration of 'Antikythera Mechanisms' is published in the open access journal

Scientific Reports . The research team revealed that 'The Machine of Antikythera' is a beautiful concept transformed into a genius device by excellent technology. This is our understanding of the technological capabilities of the ancient Greeks. It overturns the prejudice of. '

Below is an exploded view of the 'Antikythera Mechanism' published by researchers at University College London. You can see that it is a fairly elaborate structure using multiple gears.

by Tony Freeth / UCL

So far, no restoration model has been created that is in harmony with the information revealed about the 'Antikythera mechanism'. For that reason, Adam Wojcik, a materials scientist at University College London, who participated in the study, said, 'Given the complexity of'Antikythera mechanism', the relationships between parts are endless. That's why the Antikythera Mechanism is a radically different thing than what has been discovered so far. '

Gears existed in ancient Greek times, but most were huge, used in weapons such as

baristas. However, the fragments of the 'Antikythera mechanism' were so compact that they were different from the gears that had been discovered so far, so it was rumored that this was an out-of-place.

Regarding the act of restoring the structure of 'Antikythera mechanism', Wojcik said, 'What was the ship where the fragments of' Antikythera mechanism 'were found? Only about one of them was found. Where are the remaining two-thirds? And why did the debris corrode? And did the Antikythera mechanism actually work? Questions arise, but answering them requires knowledge of the field of experimental archeology. It's like thinking about how Stonehenji was made. Our research is Salisbury. It's like actually pulling a huge rock on the plain with a rope, 'he said, emphasizing that it is a restored model created in the dark.

The research team referred to past research on 'Machines of Antikythera', and used texts on its structure and mathematical models of planetary movements proposed by the ancient Greek philosopher Parmenides. The structure consisting of multiple gears that fit within 1 inch (2.54 cm) is restored with a CG model.

Each gear moves the planet, sun, and moon across ancient star charts to signal the timing of a solar eclipse or lunar eclipse. Naturally, at that time, the geocentric theory was the mainstream, so it is designed so that celestial bodies move instead of the earth based on it.

by Tony Freeth / UCL

In addition, Mr. Wojcik said, 'There is no evidence that the ancient Greeks could make such a thing. Therefore, the existence of' Antikythera mechanism 'is really a mystery,' said the restoration model. It is said that the existence of 'Antikythera mechanism' remains a mystery even if it is created.

Also, when asked who made the 'Antikythera mechanism' for whom, many researchers name Archimedes, an ancient Greek scientist. Wojcik also said, 'Archimedes was a person who lived at about the same time as the machine of Antikythera was made, and who had the same level of engineering knowledge as him at the same time. I don't. '

The history of 'Antikythera Mechanism' is summarized in the following movie in an easy-to-understand manner.

Slowly commentary on O-Parts # 19 --Nico Nico Douga