antikythera mechanism

Num7

Administrator
Staff
Messages
12,487
This old advanced piece of technology makes you wonder what our ancestors were up to back then. I wonder how they were able to reproduce it though, as when they found it under the sea, it was damaged big time.
 

Crethox

Junior Member
Messages
110
It shows too how much has been lost in a mere 2000+ years. Also I'm curious why would they have it built that way to know where planets are? Only for study and that way it's easier to find the planets you wish to study? Or was it something else?

But fascinating indeed.
 

Messages
474
Couldn't place what it was until I saw it. Darn interesting as to why would it be needed and who came up with the "blue prints" for this little "thing".
 

peter449

New Member
Messages
15
The antikythera mechanism is currently housed in the Greek National Archaeological Museum in Athens and is thought to be one of the most complicated antiques in existence. At the beginning of the 20th century, divers off the island of Antikythera came across this clocklike mechanism, which is thought to be at least 2,000 years old, in the wreckage of a cargo ship. The device was very thin and made of bronze. It was mounted in a wooden frame and had more than 2,000 characters inscribed all over it. Though nearly 95 percent of these have been deciphered by experts, there as not been a publication of the full text of the inscription.
 

Crethox

Junior Member
Messages
110
From what I read about the components used (wood and bronze) I don't think it's made by ET's, but maybe they had some influence in the creation of the device.
 

Num7

Administrator
Staff
Messages
12,487
I agree. It would be very unlikely for ETs to use bronze and wood to build a device. Perhaps the antikythera mechanism is a copy of an ETs device. I like to consider that idea, although it's not the most likely of all the theories around this device.
 

Crethox

Junior Member
Messages
110
Well a copy could be. But what I was thinking was more like (if ETs were involved) they knew what kind of materials humans could use at that time and told/taught them to build it that way.

Also the characters on the artifact, why hasn't there been a release of the "translation" yet?
 

Num7

Administrator
Staff
Messages
12,487
I guess you are referring to the writings we can find on the device's side. I don,t know much about that part.

beforeandafter-lg_540x430.jpg

I found this picture in the following article posted in 2008, which states something I never heard about before:
Experts have deciphered the word "Olympia" on the Antikythera Mechanism and discovered that one of its dials kept track of the four-year Olympics cycle.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10002897-1.html

I didn't know the mechanism could track other stuff things than planets around the sun.
 

Top