The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient mechanical device designed to compute various astronomical calculations and is often referred to as the first analog computer. Originating from the second half of the 2nd century BC, a mechanical device of its complexity is not see again for over 1000 years, until 14th century clockwork. The mechanism was discovered when it was recovered from the Antikythera Shipwreck between Crete and the Greek mainland. The device was housed in a wooden box with bronze front and back covers, and consists of at least 30 gear wheels, dials, scales, axles, pointers and Greek astronomical inscriptions.
There were three main output dials, one on the front and two on the back. The main front dial was marked with divisions describing the Egyptian (365 day) calendar. Inside the Egyptian dial there is a scale with zodiac markings, which could be moved to compensate for leap years. The main dial also consisted of three pointers, one for the date, and one for the position of the sun and the moon. There was also a second mechanism showing the different phases of the moon. In addition to all these scales and pointers, the front dial also marked the rising and setting of specific stars and is thought to have tracked the five known Greek planets.
The upper rear dial was a calendar dial that contained a Metonic cycle, Olympiad cycle, and a Calliippic cycle. The Metonic cycle has 235 parts, corresponding to the metonic cycle of 235 lunar months. The Olympiad Cycle predicted the dates of the ancient Olympic games and the Callippic cycle, which was a quadruple metonic cycle, aiding in providing greater calendar accuracy.
The lower rear dial was the eclipse prediction dial which contains a Saros cycle and and Exeligmos cycle...
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...tounding. Unfortunately some of the knowledge acquired by the Greeks was lost over time. However the Greek knowledge that did survive, seeded the ideas of the ancient Arabs, and consequently the European renaissance and modern day engineering. It can be wondered that if a direct transference of knowledge between cultures had occurred, where we would be today. It can be argued that we may be living in a world mush different than we know today.
Works Cited
1] "Frequently Asked Questions - General questions | The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project." The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project. Web. October 19, 2013.
[2] Freeth, Tony, and Alexander Jones. "The Cosmos in the Antikythera Mechanism." ISAW Papers 4 (2012). Web. Retrieved on October 16, 2013.
The ancient Babylonian calendar was rather similar to our modern calendar today. All together, the Babylonian calendar had a total of 12
Solis, Felipe, Kristaan Villela, and Mary Ellen Miller. The Aztec Calendar Stone. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Research Institute, 2000.
This book focuses on different types of calendars from a number of different places all around the world. This specific chapter, even more specifically this section, focuses on the Mayan calendar. These calendars were written by honored members of their aristocracy and were held to be of great value. The Spanish invaders believed them to be instruments of the devil and burnt great quantities of them. E. G. Richards explains that only four Mayan books are survive in the libraries of Europe, and one of those—The Dresden codex—suffered severe damage in another fire, one which was inflicted on that city in the Second World War. Richards says that the earliest record of a calendar survives from about 500 BC in Monte Alban near Oaxaca. This calendar employs a 260-day cycle, which was commonly used by several societies and is still in use among the present-day inhabitants of the region. The Maya used the calendar partly to anticipate propitious days to embark on wars and other activities. It was also used to record on stone pillars, or stelae, important events in the lives of their kings and to relate these to more mythical events of the past. The Mayan calendar system involved two major methods of specifying a specific date—the calendar round and the long count. The calendar round was used to specify a date within a period of about 52 years, while the long count served to relate such dates within a longer period named a great cycle. The calendar round involved three interlocking cycles of 13, 20, and 365 days respectively. The 365-day cycle was called a haab and was similar to the Egyptian wandering year. Each haab was divided into 18 periods called uinals; each uinal had 20 days and a name. The 18 uinal were followed by five epagomen...
Throughout the day we are constantly checking the time, preparing for the upcoming months, and keeping track of the year. Clocks tell us the time we use as a measurement. It’s how we keep track of those important months and events, such as holidays and birthdays. Although there are many investigations and research being done on the nature of time, many unresolved issues remain.
The clock is one of the most influential discoveries in the history of western science. The division of time into regular, predictable units is fundamental to the operation of society. Even in ancient times, humanity recognized the necessity of an orderly system of chronology. Hesiod, writing in the 8th century BC., used celestial bodies to indicate agricultural cycles: "When the Pleiads, Atlas' daughters, start to rise begin your harvest; plough when they go down" ( Hesiod 71). Later Greek scientists, such as Archimedes, developed complicated models of the heavens-celestial spheres-that illustrated the "wandering" of the sun, the moon, and the planets against the fixed position of the stars. Shortly after Archimedes, Ctesibus created the Clepsydra in the 2nd century BC. A more elaborate version of the common water clock, the Clepsydra was quite popular in ancient Greece. However, the development of stereography by Hipparchos in 150 BC. radically altered physical representations of the heavens. By integrating stereography with the Clepsydra and the celestial sphere, humanity was capable of creating more practical and accurate devices for measuring time-the anaphoric clock and the astrolabe. Although Ptolemy was familiar with both the anaphoric clock and the astrolabe, I believe that the development of the anaphoric clock preceded the development of the astrolabe.
Step 4: In the southern hemisphere, point the watch's 12 o'clock mark toward the sun and a midpoint halfway between 12 and the hour hand will give you the north-south line
Therefore, the Greeks contributed to Western Civilization in many ways. They contributed with great minds like Archimedes and Euclid with math and physics. They also influenced the United States’s government and Western Civilization’s architecture. Thirdly, they were the beginning of philosophy. The Greeks did unimaginable things and influenced many common things such as theater. They even started one of the biggest events known world-wide, the Olympic
Kirkpatrick, Larry D., Gerald F. Wheeler. Physics A World View. 4th ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt, 2001. 273-278.
Anderson, Ross. "What Happened Before the Big Bang? The New Philosophy of Cosmology." The Atlantic. N.p., 19 Jan. 2012. Web. 06 Jan. 2014.
350BC is the start of mechanical gearing like the pulley, lever and screw developed by the Greeks and/or the Egyptians. 300BC the binary number system is invented by Pingala. 87BC in Rhodes the Antikythera Mechanism is invented to track stars movement. (N/A/N/A...
Eventually, city-states started to turn upon each other and greek culture started to fall. It’s truly amazing how they were able to invent and innovate up until their decline. Even with all that stood in their way. They didn’t have fertile soil for farming due to the rocky terrain and somehow, they still were able to invent and innovate up until their decline. There is one explanation, the Ancient Greeks were geniuses. Their innovations have left legacies that spill into the culture of today. We are all Greeks in some
The Greek's notion of rational thought is a very strong reason why Western Civilization has become so influential in the world today. During their time, the Greeks spurred an intellectual revolution. They questioned the meanings of life and began using their minds to expand the world. According to Glenn Blackburn: "In many ways, they "discovered" the human "mind" through their philosophy and rational thought [ . . . ]"(64). Their "opening" of the mind influenced all ways of life and society. Major ideas blossomed like politics, governing laws, literature, art, history, and new inventions. Scientific thinking was groundbreaking among Greek minds. Ideas of mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and anatomy engrossed the public. This revolution of rational thought dominated society and began a transition in Western Civilization because people began using reason to explain human and natural events, rather than the gods (Blackburn, 67). Even today, rational thought is used by all of us and continues to influence society. The power of the modern mind has proved greater than any other Greek could have ever expected.
Due to archeological evidence we know that the African people were the first people in the world to use counting to keep track of their things, or time. Around 35,000 BC, in South Africa the earliest known tally stick was made, and was left in Lebombo Cave. 29 notches were cut into the stick. We don't know exactly what they were counting. Some people think they were counting the days from one moon phase to the next, but it could have been something else. Just as well. Now, what we do see is that by 35,000 BC people in South Africa had the idea of keeping records by making marks. “The Lebombo bone is a baboon fibula with a set of 29 notches carved in it. Archeologists believe these marks are evidence of a primitive calendar, measuring either the lunar or the menstrual calendar. This artifact is incredibly important for unders...
Atteberry, Jonathan. "What exactly is the Higgs boson?" 24 January 2012. HowStuffWorks.com. 05 February 2014.
Due to a lack of interesting mechatronics display items in many engineering companies and hobbyists shops, we found an existing design that matched all these requirements: A mechanical time writing clock (a.k.a. “Plotclock”). Our group decided to figure out exactly how it worked, by replicating a rescaled version of it and re-programming its movement to achieve this. We succeeded in having near perfect numbers drawn by the clock, although some improvements can be made on its dimensions to make it more stable while operating.