Posted 6/10/2006 05:16:00 PM by Douglas

More news on the world's oldest analytical computer, the Antikythera Mechanism.

For decades, researchers have been baffled by the intricate bronze mechanism of wheels and dials created 80 years before the birth of Christ.

The "Antikythera Mechanism" was discovered damaged and fragmented on the wreck of a cargo ship off the tiny Greek island of Antikythera in 1900.

Now, a joint British-Greek research team has found a hidden ancient Greek inscription on the device, which it thinks could unlock the mystery.

The team believes the Antikythera Mechanism may be the world's oldest computer, used by the Greeks to predict the motion of the planets.

The researchers say the device indicates a technical sophistication that would not be replicated for millennia and may also be based on principles of a heliocentric, or sun-centred, universe - a view of the cosmos that was not accepted by astronomers until the Renaissance.

It's pretty amazing to think that level of sophistication of machining was available at the time to create a device that could predict the location of the celestial bodies known at the time, not to mention in a heliocentric solar system. Looks like this asks more questions than it answers.

Labels: Antikythera Mechanism