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Antikythera

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Antikythera Mechanism. The Antikythera mechanism (Fragment A – front) The Antikythera mechanism (Fragment A – back) The Antikythera mechanism (/ˌæntɨkɨˈθɪərə/ ANT-i-ki-THEER-ə or /ˌæntɨˈkɪθərə/ ANT-i-KITH-ə-rə) is an ancient analog computer[1][2][3][4] designed to predict astronomical positions and eclipses.

Antikythera Mechanism

It was recovered in 1900–1901 from the Antikythera wreck, a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera.[5] Although the computer's construction has been attributed to the Greeks and dated to the early 1st century BC, its significance and complexity were not understood until the 1970s when it was analyzed with modern X-ray technology. Technological artifacts approaching its complexity and workmanship did not appear again until the 14th century, when mechanical astronomical clocks began to be built in Western Europe.[6] The mechanism was housed in a wooden box approximately 340 × 180 × 90 mm in size and comprised 30 bronze gears (although more could have been lost). Download Full Resolution PTM. Note: If you have trouble saving the PTM, right click on the image you would like to download, then click on " Save Target As" to save the file.

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PTM Numbering Cross Reference A cross reference between the PTM numbering scheme shown above and the standard nomenclature for the Antikythera Mechanism fragments was compiled by Herb Johnson and is available here. Credits Images from the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project. Archäologie: Das Urwerk.