"More than a hundred years ago an extraordinary mechanism was found by
sponge divers at the bottom of the sea near the island of Antikythera.
It astonished the whole international community of experts on the
ancient world. Was it an astrolabe? Was it an orrery or an astronomical
clock? Or something else? For decades, scientific investigation failed
to yield much light and relied more on imagination than the facts.
However research over the last half century has begun to reveal its
secrets. It dates from around the 1st century B.C. and is the most
sophisticated mechanism known from the ancient world. Nothing as
complex is known for the next thousand years. The Antikythera Mechanism
is now understood to be dedicated to astronomical phenomena and
operates as a complex mechanical "computer" which tracks the cycles of
the Solar System."
"During the first data-gathering phase in the autumn of 2005, the most innovative technologies were used to reveal unknown elements of the mechanism. This research was carried out by two world-class high technology companies, Hewlett Packard (US) and X-Tek Systems (UK). X-Tek's superb three-dimensional x-rays were imaged using software from the leading German company, Volume Graphics. Technical support was also provided by the University of Keele (UK). The whole process was filmed by Tony Freeth's Film and Television production company, Images First, for a forthcoming TV documentary."
The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project
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Photo Credit: HP Labs
Wow! This is totally fascinating - going to check out the documentary now...
Posted by: Devan | December 22, 2008 at 07:45 AM