Wednesday 12 February 2014

Who Could Have Built This...


     This mechanism was recovered from the Antikythera shipwreck in 1901. Its complexity and purpose was not understood for another hundred years. Dated to around 200 BC, it is identified to be an analog computer used to calculate the astronomical position of the stars and planets. Its juxtaposition among other ancient artifacts is akin to finding a jet airplane inside King Tutankhamun’s tomb. The device, whose inner workings are far more complex than a Swiss watch, is capable of accurately measuring the movement of the sun, the moon (and all its phases), eclipse cycles and the position of the planets. Who could have built this?