Ancient 'computer' found on one of the Greek islands
In a recent video, BBC Global delves into the fascinating story of the Antikythera mechanism and its extraordinary impact on our understanding of ancient technology. The discovery of a shipwreck off the coast of Antikythera in Greece 120 years ago revealed not just marble statues and jewelry but also a mysterious piece of metal that would turn out to be one of history's most valuable finds. As researchers began to study this artifact, complex systems of gears were uncovered, showcasing what appears to be an incredible technological achievement of its time. This discovery prompted many scholars to rethink the history of technology, which had previously seemed much simpler.
BBC Global highlights that the Antikythera mechanism is a unique calculating machine that utilizes precision gears to predict cosmic cycles, a groundbreaking step for the ancient Greeks. The ability to mechanically predict the positions of the sun, moon, and planets by turning a handle was revolutionary. Scientists argue that this device not only reflected the astronomical theories of the time but also underscored the advanced technological skills of the Ancient Greeks, which were astonishing for that era.
Over the years, the research on the mechanism has evolved, with modern technology, including 3D X-ray scanning, significantly advancing our knowledge of how the device worked. When the Antikythera mechanism was first studied in the 1970s, hidden cogs were revealed, but it wasn't until the advent of modern tools that researchers could fully understand and model these elements. This discovery provided new inscriptions that offered additional insights into how the mechanism functioned, including a user guide hidden within the corroded bronze.
BBC Global discovers that the Antikythera mechanism was not the only such device in antiquity and expresses hope that future exploratory studies may uncover similar technological achievements. With thousands of shipwrecks lying beneath the Mediterranean Sea, there is potential for further ancient inventions to be found. Referencing visionary thoughts from Arthur C. Clarke brings attention to the lost potential of ancient technology and the question of what could have occurred had Greek inventors realized the full capabilities of their creations.
As the number of studies and technological advancements increases, BBC Global emphasizes that the history of technology is different than it may seem. By examining past achievements, one can recognize that technological development does not always follow a straightforward path, and some knowledge was indeed lost over the centuries. At the time of writing this article, the video has garnered 11,612,953 views and 190,770 likes, underscoring the significant interest in the Antikythera mechanism and the complexities of ancient technology.
Toggle timeline summary
-
Introduction to the astonishing discovery of a significant ancient object.
-
The shipwreck discovery by sponge divers off Antikythera.
-
A diverse array of treasures found, including a mysterious corroded object.
-
Initial excitement upon discovering gear wheels within the object.
-
Description of the Antikythera mechanism and its calculation capabilities.
-
Discussion on the purpose and significance of the mechanism.
-
Advancements in technology revealing more about the mechanism.
-
Introduction of 3D x-ray technology to uncover hidden details.
-
Breakthroughs in understanding the mechanism's functions.
-
Acknowledgment of the ancient Greeks' advanced technological capability.
-
Quote from Arthur C. Clarke about potential advancements the Greeks could have made.
-
Plans for creating a physical model of the mechanism.
-
The existence of more ancient technological devices like the Antikythera mechanism.
-
Reflection on the implications of the Antikythera mechanism for understanding technological history.
-
Insight into the non-linear progression of technological development.
-
Attribution to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's contributions.
Transcription
When we first looked at the results, it was astonishing. We've had to rethink the history of technology completely as a result of this single object. It's such a clever, extraordinary, sophisticated machine. Completely...completely shocking for ancient Greece. 120 years ago, sponge divers discovered a shipwreck off the tiny island of Antikythera in Greece. And what they found changed our understanding of human history forever. Among the treasure trove were marble statues, elegant vases, glistening jewellery and ancient coins, and what looked to be a hunk of corroded metal that no-one knew quite what to do with. It was not recognised at all as being anything interesting when it was discovered. It was just a corroded lump about the size of a large dictionary. But when, in 1902, it was discovered that there were gear wheels inside it, everyone suddenly got rather excited. This was the first shock because anything from ancient Greece simply shouldn't have gear wheels. These were precision gears with teeth about a millimetre long. And this was just completely...completely shocking. And the Antikythera mechanism has captured the imagination of archaeologists, mathematicians and scientists ever since. It's a dedicated calculating machine and it uses bronze gear wheels to calculate the cycles of the cosmos, the cosmos being the sun, the moon, the planets, against the stars. You wind it forward ten years and you can know where the sun and the moon is going to be and where the planets are going to be. The question of why the ancient Greeks created such a device has plagued experts since its discovery. I think it was conceived as a calculating machine that would calculate the theories they had. They had astronomical theories, but could calculate those at the turn of a handle. So it would demonstrate how you could look ahead and say, what's the position of the moon going to be in five years' time? You could turn the handle. It would tell you almost immediately. This is a massive step forward in the history of science and technology, something we take for granted now. But in those days, the idea that your scientific theories could be mechanised, the predictions could be mechanised, was absolutely astonishing. Now kept in a museum in Greece, the 2,000-year-old device is split into 82 fragments and much of it is missing. But in the years since this discovery, modern technology has vastly advanced what we know about the mechanism. In the 1970s, a team x-rayed the device and the first secrets were revealed. Dozens of cogs hidden within it. But it wasn't until 3D x-ray technology came along that they could separate these gears out. We took an eight-tonne x-ray machine to Athens, installed it in the museum, and we took x-ray data of all the 82 surviving fragments of the mechanism. And when we first looked at the results, it was astonishing, because it showed us not only all the gear wheels in three dimensions so we could separate them, but it showed us all these new inscriptions in the fragments as well. A new world of secrets was revealed. A user guide, hidden within the folds of corroded bronze. This was a wonderful revelation. Out of that data has come nearly all the breakthroughs in recent decades. Came the discovery that it predicted eclipses, that it followed the variable motion of the moon. Previous experts had been able to model the back of the mechanism up until this point, but these inscriptions helped Tony and his colleagues with their latest model, which focuses on the front of the device. There's thousands of text characters in ancient Greek which tell us how it worked. It displayed the ancient Greek cosmos, the sun, moon and planets in a sort of ring system. It brought back the history of technology to a much earlier time. It is completely astonishing that the ancient Greeks firstly had the conception of making this technology and secondly the ability to actually physically make it. We've had to rethink the history of technology completely as a result of this single object. The great Arthur C. Clarke said if the ancient Greeks had understood the capabilities of the technology they'd created, then they would have reached the moon within 300 years and we'd now be exploring the nearest stars. Now Tony and his team will take their theoretical model and use ancient Greek techniques to build a physical model of the mechanism. And modern technology may reveal more secrets of the ancient world still. There were certainly in the ancient world more devices like the Antikythera mechanism. It wasn't unique. I think the only real hope of finding another machine like the Antikythera mechanism is from a shipwreck. The hopeful thing is there are thousands of shipwrecks down there under the Mediterranean, some of them at very deep levels. But the diving technology is advancing so much that it's becoming possible to explore quite deep wrecks. To understand the technological world we live in today, we need to understand its history. What the Antikythera mechanism tells us is that that history is different than what we thought, that it started early, that it's developed in this incredible flourishing of this sophisticated technology, and then it seemed to go backwards. We take it for granted in the modern world that technology will just keep on advancing, but throughout history this hasn't always been the case. The history of technological development doesn't go in a straight line. It develops in fits and starts and sometimes gets lost and forgotten. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology