Antikythera update!
"As an ancient artefact, the importance of the Antikythera Mechanism cannot be overstated. Xenophon Moussas, professor of space physics and director of the astronomy laboratory at Athens University, alluded to the fact that new findings regarding the Mechanism will require the history of astronomy to be rewritten."
"A new analysis of the Antikythera Mechanism, a clock-like machine consisting of more than 30 precise, hand-cut bronze gears, show it to be more advanced than previously thought -- so much so that nothing comparable was built for another thousand years...
"Pieces of the ancient calculating machine were discovered by sponge divers exploring the remains of an ancient shipwreck off the tiny island of Antikythera in 1900. For decades, scientists have been trying to figure out how the device's 80 fragmented pieces fit together and unlock its workings.
"A new analysis reveals that the Antikythera Mechanism's front dials had pointers for the Sun and Moon -- called the "golden little sphere" and "little sphere," respectively -- and markings which coincided with the zodiac and solar calendars. The back dials, meanwhile, appear to have been used for predicting solar and lunar eclipses.
"The researchers also show that the device could mechanically replicate the irregular motions of the Moon, caused by its elliptical orbit around the Earth, using a clever design involving two superimposed gear-wheels, one slightly off-center, that are connected by a pin-and-slot device.
"The team was also able to pin down the device's construction date more precisely. Radiocarbon dating suggested it was built around 65 BC, but newly revealed lettering on the machine indicate a slightly older construction date of 150 to 100 BC. The team's reconstruction also involves 37 gear wheels, seven of which are hypothetical."
"Previous reconstructions suggested the Antikythera Mechanism was about the size of a shoebox, with dials on the outside and a complex assembly of bronze gear wheels within. By winding a knob on its side, the positions of the sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus could be determined for any chosen date. Newly revealed inscriptions also appear to confirm previous speculations that the device could also calculate the positions of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—the other planets known at the time."
See "The 10 Most Puzzling Ancient Artifacts" for more about ancient technology. And be sure to check Antikythera update 2 and Antikythera update 3.
"A new analysis of the Antikythera Mechanism, a clock-like machine consisting of more than 30 precise, hand-cut bronze gears, show it to be more advanced than previously thought -- so much so that nothing comparable was built for another thousand years...
"Pieces of the ancient calculating machine were discovered by sponge divers exploring the remains of an ancient shipwreck off the tiny island of Antikythera in 1900. For decades, scientists have been trying to figure out how the device's 80 fragmented pieces fit together and unlock its workings.
"A new analysis reveals that the Antikythera Mechanism's front dials had pointers for the Sun and Moon -- called the "golden little sphere" and "little sphere," respectively -- and markings which coincided with the zodiac and solar calendars. The back dials, meanwhile, appear to have been used for predicting solar and lunar eclipses.
"The researchers also show that the device could mechanically replicate the irregular motions of the Moon, caused by its elliptical orbit around the Earth, using a clever design involving two superimposed gear-wheels, one slightly off-center, that are connected by a pin-and-slot device.
"The team was also able to pin down the device's construction date more precisely. Radiocarbon dating suggested it was built around 65 BC, but newly revealed lettering on the machine indicate a slightly older construction date of 150 to 100 BC. The team's reconstruction also involves 37 gear wheels, seven of which are hypothetical."
"Previous reconstructions suggested the Antikythera Mechanism was about the size of a shoebox, with dials on the outside and a complex assembly of bronze gear wheels within. By winding a knob on its side, the positions of the sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus could be determined for any chosen date. Newly revealed inscriptions also appear to confirm previous speculations that the device could also calculate the positions of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—the other planets known at the time."
See "The 10 Most Puzzling Ancient Artifacts" for more about ancient technology. And be sure to check Antikythera update 2 and Antikythera update 3.
Antikythera update!
mr damon, 11:11
1 Comments:
i have a feeling the next few years will bring us information of the 'primitive world' not being so primitive. modern western science has a big ego to drop.
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