Antikythera Mechanism
An ancient Greek geared computing device from around 100 BC, used to predict eclipses and track the cycles of the Olympic Games and other Panhellenic festivals.
The Meaning of Antikythera Mechanism
The Antikythera Mechanism was recovered from a Roman-era shipwreck off the island of Antikythera in 1901. Its bronze gears encoded astronomical knowledge attributed to traditions stretching back to Hipparchus and the Babylonians. The device tracked the movements of the Sun, Moon, and probably the five known planets across the zodiac. One dial predicted solar and lunar eclipses using the Saros cycle. Another tracked the Metonic cycle of 19 years. Remarkably, a subsidiary dial tracked the four-year cycle of Panhellenic games: the Olympics at Olympia sacred to Zeus, the Pythian Games at Delphi sacred to Apollo, the Nemean Games at Nemea sacred to Zeus, and the Isthmian Games at Corinth sacred to Poseidon. The mechanism revealed that Greek technology was far more sophisticated than previously believed.
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Fun Fact
The Antikythera Mechanism is often called the world's first analog computer, and nothing of comparable complexity appeared again for over 1,000 years. When it was first X-rayed in the 1970s, scientists refused to believe ancient Greeks could build geared computers. Modern CT scans have revealed 37 interlocking gears — technology that wasn't matched until medieval cathedral clocks in the 14th century.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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