The Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera Mechanism dates from the 1st centry B.C. and is the most sophisticated mechanism known from the ancient world. Nothing as sophisticated is known for the next thousand years. It is widely understood to be a complex “computer” dedicated to astronomical phenomena by tracking cycles of the Solar System. The first fragments of this mechanism where discovered in April of 1900 by a diver in Antikythera, a Greek island between Kythera and Crete in the wreckage of an ancient cargo ship. Excavating of the site yielded three main parts, and dozens of smaller fragments. The mechanism would have been remarkably thin, about 13 in. high, 6.7 in. thick, made of bronze, and mounded in a wooden frame. It was inscribed with a text of over 3,000 characters, most of which have only recently been deciphered. These characters were part of a manual, which describes how to set up the instrument and how to use it for observations; with references to the Sun, the motion of planets Venus, Mercury, and eclipses.