RECONSTRUCTING THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM
These are the remains of the Antikythera Mechanism – a sophisticated astronomical calculator built in ancient Greece over 2,000 years ago and found by chance in a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Mechanism was a scientific marvel - a miniature model of the Cosmos which mirrored the movements of the solar system. It was the first analog computer ever created and the oldest scientific instrument in the world, by a very long way.
The Mechanism calculated the position of the bodies in the solar system on any date in the past or future. It predicted cosmic events such as eclipses of the Sun and Moon and planetary conjunctions. The ancient craftsmen achieved this by using advanced engineering techniques to implement the Greek theories of the Cosmos in a clockwork machine.
In our reconstruction we have followed their original design, mathematics and astronomical models to recreate a working version in modern materials which is calibrated to the solar system today. Our reconstruction accurately calculates the positions of the Sun, Moon and five planets at any time in the past, present or future.
The secrets of the Mechanism were known to very few people in antiquity - such instruments were extremely rare and their workings were hidden inside a wooden box. Our reconstruction is available as a kit, and designed to be fully open and visible. In building the kit you gain a deep appreciation of the incredible intricacies of the Mechanism and the challenges the craftsmen faced in producing it.
“I am mighty pleased with the assembled device. I think you have done an absolutely amazing job in analysing the Antikythera mechanism and then turning it into a kit which can be comparatively easily assembled. Inclusion of tools and spares were much appreciated." JF, Melbourne, Australia