Difference between revisions of "Antikythera mechanism"
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The '''Antikythera mechanism''' is the remains of an object found in 1900 within an ancient shipwreck off the island of Antikythera, Greece. Estimated to be well over 2,000 years old, the Antikythera mechanism has recently been determined to be a highly-precise clock-like astronomical device, made to calculate the motions of the sun, moon, stars and planets over a period of time; that no other example of its kind was made until a thousand years later makes the device all the more remarkable. | The '''Antikythera mechanism''' is the remains of an object found in 1900 within an ancient shipwreck off the island of Antikythera, Greece. Estimated to be well over 2,000 years old, the Antikythera mechanism has recently been determined to be a highly-precise clock-like astronomical device, made to calculate the motions of the sun, moon, stars and planets over a period of time; that no other example of its kind was made until a thousand years later makes the device all the more remarkable. | ||
Revision as of 05:52, February 23, 2011
The Antikythera mechanism is the remains of an object found in 1900 within an ancient shipwreck off the island of Antikythera, Greece. Estimated to be well over 2,000 years old, the Antikythera mechanism has recently been determined to be a highly-precise clock-like astronomical device, made to calculate the motions of the sun, moon, stars and planets over a period of time; that no other example of its kind was made until a thousand years later makes the device all the more remarkable.
History
In 1900 a Greek sponge boat had anchored off the Antikythera coast and divers went over the side, diving 140 feet to the bottom in an effort to gather sponges and black coral; one of the divers (Elias Stadiatos) reported the frightening images of "dead, naked women"[1], which turned out to be a treasure trove of ancient marble statues. Telling the Greek government of the find, the boat returned the following year, recovering the statues, jewelry, and what appeared to have been several pieces of corroded bronze gears, which were filed away in the depths of the Athens Museum, while the rest of the finds were placed on display.