The oldest computer in the world and the view of the universe of the ancient Greeks


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Fragment of the Antikythera Mechanism of Ancient Greece – the world’s first computer. Credit: Marsyas / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.5

A bronze artifact recovered from an ancient Greek shipwreck, known to be the world’s oldest computer, may hold the secrets of the universe.

By Mike Edmunds

When we talk about the history of computers, most of us are referring to the evolution of the modern digital desktop PC, tracing developments over decades like Apple and Microsoft. What many don’t consider, however, is that computers have been around much longer. In fact, they date back to millennia, to a time when they were analog creations.

Grecian Delight supports Greece

Today the oldest known “computer” in the world is the Antikythera Mechanism, a corroded bronze artifact that was found in the early 20th century in the remains of a shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the true importance of the Antikythera mechanism was discovered, however, when x-rays revealed that the device is in fact a complex mechanism with at least 30 cogwheels.

    first computer in the world
The Antikythera Mechanism, known around the world as the world’s first computer, was created by the ancient Greeks. Credit: National Archaeological Museum of Athens

The mechanism has since been established as the first known astronomical calendar, a complex system that can track and predict the cycles of the solar system. Technically, it is a sophisticated mechanical “calculator” rather than a real “computer”, as it cannot be reprogrammed, but it is an impressive artefact nonetheless.

Since 2004, an international collaboration has applied modern imaging methods to probe the structure and function of the mechanism. These techniques have now revealed numerous texts on its surfaces and even much of the inscription which was buried inside the remaining fragments as a result of damage during and after the sinking.

So what do we know about the mechanism? And what did the decryption of texts add?

Inside the story

When it was first created, the mechanism was roughly the size of a shoebox, with dials on its front and back sides. A handle or knob on the side of the box allowed the user to spin the gear trains inside – originally there were many more gears than the 30 that still survive. On the front, pointers showed where the sun and moon were in the sky, and there was a moon phase display. On the back, the dials displayed a 19-year cycle of lunar months, the 18.2-year “Saros cycle” of lunar and solar eclipses – and even a four-year cycle of sports competitions, including games. Olympic.

It is believed that the inscriptions were a description to the user of what they saw when they operated the mechanism. However, the newly published texts add more to what we know about the mechanism: they establish that the positions of the five planets known in antiquity have also been shown – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.

The planets were displayed on the machine in a way that took into account their rather irregular “wanderings” in the sky. Such a display had been suspected, and confirmation reinforces that it was a very sophisticated and quite complicated device. The actual gear trains needed to display the planets are missing – presumably lost in the shipwreck – but we do know of the very ingenious way the sun and moon drives are designed and built that the makers of the mechanism certainly had. the skills to do planetary training.

Newly discovered inscriptions include passages on stars that had just become visible – or about to be lost in the glare of the sun – at different times of the year. The style of these passages is very close to that of a well-known astronomical text by the 1st century BC Greek astronomer and mathematician Geminos. Not only does this perfectly correspond to the presumed date of the sinking (circa 60 BC, from which there is a contemporary historical record by the writer Cicero of such devices.

Uncover the truth about the world’s first computer

Some mysteries remain, however. We still do not know exactly what such a mechanism was really used for. Was it some kind of teaching device? Would it have had religious significance? Was it a prestigious “toy”? This last interpretation seems less and less probable. It was a serious kit, with a very detailed astronomical description.

The mechanism is essentially an astronomical device, which testifies both to the astronomical knowledge of the Greeks and their extraordinary, and rather little-known mechanical design skills. Another small detail can also allude to its integration into the worldview of our ancestors. Some of the texts appear to discuss the possible colors of eclipses, which could be interpreted in the context of whether the eclipse was a good or a bad omen. However, it should be noted that this is the only astrological reference found on the mechanism, despite careful research.

To understand the Antikythera Mechanism, what you really need are more artifacts or texts on mechanical devices from the classical era. Unfortunately, the recycling of precious metals, both in ancient and medieval times, resulted in the destruction of almost all mechanisms. There is always the possibility that another device or text will appear at a large archaeological site like Pompeii or Herculaneum, but the best bet for the material is probably still the wrecks of the classical era.

Divers have returned to the Antikythera Wreck this year, so maybe the missing parts of the planetary display will appear. One attractive possibility is that the Antikythera Mechanism was on the ship because it was delivered to a customer.

The mechanism was not, as is sometimes claimed, a navigation device, and navigation was not the reason for its presence. If one aircraft were delivered, could there be more – if not on this ship, then maybe on others from Rhodes?

New devices could help indicate how far geared technology has developed, before disappearing almost completely from view during the rather obscure period that lasted from AD 500 until the sudden resumption of the world. gear to the era of medieval cathedral clocks from around AD 1180, well over a millennium after the Antikythera mechanism.

Mike Edmunds is a Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics at Cardiff University. This article was originally published in The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons license.

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