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Discovered in 1900 among the wrecks, and considered as the first human-made computer, the Anti-Craft mechanism remained a mystery for almost a century, until in 2006 British and American scientists began to understand how this object worked composed of about thirty gears and that could be elaborated by the Greeks between 200 and 100 BC
Although the analysis of the mechanism has continued, its functions have not yet been fully deciphered.Here we provide 11 data on the mechanism of Antiquitera.
11 mysterious facts about the Antiquitera mechanism
1.The mechanism was found by sponge fishermen near the Antiquitera island (or Anticitera) among the remains of a shipwreck.Although the object is of Greek origin, it is cr ee that was part of a loot or treasure destined for Julio Cesar.The wreck occurred in the first century BC
2.Fortune was not benign with the divers who discovered the device: one died and two others were paralyzed, victims of the "ecstasy of the depths" (nitrogen poisoning) and decompression, little or totally unknown at the beginning of the 20th century.The wreckage of the ship was 47 meters deep and the danger with the pressure begins after 20.
3.It is not known with certainty its origin, although some names linked to colonies of Corinth are shuffled: Pergamum , where the second most important library of antiquity was located, after from that of Alexandria; Rhodes , because it is believed that the ship came from that port, and where an important center of astronomy and mechanics worked; and Syracuse , where the Archimedes school worked.
4.At least three important Romans could be linked to this artifact, according to Professor Jenofonte Moussas of the University of Athens, that in 2006 he pointed out that the ship could have carried a loot from the sacking of Athens by General Sila , in 87 BC, and be destined for the triumphal parade of Julio Cesar It has also been noted that by that same time Marco Tulio Ciceron I speak of a “sphere of Archimedes”, a kind of planetarium that predicted the position of the planets, the sun and the moon.
5.The Anti-Mesh mechanism consisted of 30 bronze gears of different sizes ingeniously placed on a wooden stand, and its function was to predict positions of stars and planets, eclipses and the exact dates of Greek festivals and games, such as the Olympics, the Pitic games, those of Rhodes and the Istmicos, among others.
6.The researchers claim that in predicting the planets known to the Greeks-Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn-it was of extraordinary precision, to the point of just having an error of one degree in 500 years .
7.The mechanism is of a sophistication such that it was not overcome by another mechanical object until 1,500 years later, during the fourteenth century , when the first astronomical gear clocks were built.
8.However, according to the data on the Anti-Mesh mechanism, it is not known if it came to be used or by whom.The historians think it could have been in a temp or in a knowledge center, but it could also have belonged to a rich family.
9.There is increasingly more evidence that points to Rhodes as the place of origin of the mechanism of Anti-mesh: the ship came from this island, which was also an important port; and the analysis of the inscriptions allowed some researchers to determine some coordinates that coincide with the position of this island.
10.Another data that pushes in that direction is that for the moment of the elaboration of the mechanism, Hipparchus , considered the father of trigonometry, was on this island.There are also those who believe that Hipparchus could be the creator of the device, and for this they rely on the system to predict the movements of the Luna was based on the theory of this student from Nicea (now Turkey).
11.Before the invention of digital computers there were analog computers, which could be from calculation rules to devices to calculate the movement of the tides.The Anti-Mesh mechanism would become the first analog computer in history.
Without a doubt, a fascinating object that still keeps some secrets and mysteries, and stands as another proof of incredible ingenuity and wisdom of the ancient Mediterranean civilizations.
If you are interested in this article, you will surely like to read about Ada Lovelace, the enchantress of numbers, or the amazing Alan Turing.
Images: Andrew Barclay, Steve&Michelle Gerdes, Tilemahos Efthimiadis, Sarah Murray
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