Antikythera

[Larry$]

Many of you have already seen Clickspring's work. For those that have not....
Go to his site and watch this series from the start.
An absolute master craftsman!

(748) The #Antikythera Mechanism Episode 11 - Inscribing The Back Plate - Part 2 - YouTube

This is probably the most skilled "machinist" I've ever seen. He has made a working model of the Greek astronomical calculator. The remains of which were found in a 2000 year old shipwreck. Figuring out the design from the remains took many years & many people.

Making the model has also taken years. The methods used to make the model are what would have been available to the original makers. In this series he shows how he made the tools that would have been available 2000 years ago.

All of Clickspring's videos are worth watching.

 

[hman]

I agree with your kudos to Clickspring. Magnificent work, indeed!

 

[Eddyde]

I was recently vacationing in Greece and saw a great model and demonstration of the Antikythera device. I now have a much better understanding of what it did and how it works. It is the first computer able to translate dates between different calendars and predict dates of future events!

 

[Shiseiji]

The history of working out the mechanism is quite interesting, with forceful personalities pushing their beliefs as fact that has come to be disproven, in one case when a piece that languished on a shelf was able to be analized. Building his Antikythera mechanism, Chris made such a discovery regarding the lunar calendar, and it being a 364 rather than a 365 day calendar. Based on analysis of hole spacing and the experience of actually building it. He and three collaborators presented their findings in a paper accepted by the British Horological Institute and published (officially) in March 2021. Pretty amazing. He has Pateron site and hosts a Discord discussion.

 

[Winegrower]

This is really stunning to me…if it’s 2500 years old, as I think I‘ve seen, there should have been many more documented examples of these and other geared mechanisms, as this does not look like the first and only one of these ever made…it’s just too incredibly clever. You think?

And if you have not followed Clickspring on Youtube, you’re in for a treat.

 

[Boswell]

as this does not look like the first and only one of these ever made…it’s just too incredibly clever

Hard to know how special or rare this was in it's time. This might be the equivalent of a modern Super-Computer. Not unique but still rare. It could also be a one-off that was just too expensive or fragile to make it worth producing more. Plenty more questions than answers.

 

[hman]

Here'san interesting article that a friend sent me:

World’s “First Computer” Changed Our Understanding Of Human History Forever

The mysterious Antikythera Mechanism was found on a shipwreck 120 years ago and dates back 2,000 years.

www.iflscience.com

 

[FOMOGO]

Has to be a b**ch to strap on your wrist. Mike

 

[twhite]

Has to be a b**ch to strap on your wrist. Mike

Kinda like Fred Flintstone and his watch.

Cutting oil is my blood.

 

[Mitch Alsup]

Kinda like Fred Flintstone and his watch.

That's Fred's boss not Fred.