Antikythera breakthrough: Ancient Greek lunar calendar revealed
The Antikythera Mechanism is an approximately 2,200-year-old analogue computer created in ancient Greece. Made of bronze and consisting of complex gear systems, the device was historically used to calculate the positions of celestial bodies and predict astronomical events, among other things. It still holds many mysteries. Recently, researchers determined that the computer tracked the Greek lunar calendar rather than the ancient Egyptian calendar.
Divers discovered the Antikythera Mechanism in 1901 off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera. The divers reached an ancient merchant ship at a depth of 138 feet and retrieved numerous statues, and the device is now recognized as the world's oldest computer. In 1902, archaeologist Valerios Stais determined that the mechanism contained 37 bronze gears with diameters ranging from 0.4 to 6.7 inches. These gears were driven by a crank on the side, moving several pointers.
The Antikythera Mechanism has intrigued for years
Initially, researchers thought it was an ancient clock, but it became a much more advanced device. The Antikythera Mechanism, about the size of a shoebox, was historically used to observe the movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets, synchronize the solar calendar with the lunar calendar, and predict solar and lunar eclipses. Experts initially believed the Antikythera Mechanism tracked the solar clock used by Egyptians, but recent research indicates it tracked the Greek lunar calendar, according to Live Science.
In 2020, a team led by independent researcher Chris Budiselica, using new X-ray images, measurements, and mathematical analysis, determined that the mechanism likely did not cover the full solar year but 354 days, as in the lunar calendar. Further studies published on June 27 this year in "The Horological Journal" by a team from the University of Glasgow confirmed these findings.
Recent analyses of the Antikythera Mechanism applied statistical techniques developed for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) to detect gravitational waves. These methods identified the number and distribution of missing holes in the calendar ring. Ultimately, it was determined that the mechanism likely had 354 or 355 holes, which tracked the lunar calendar used in ancient Greece.
"Glasgow team's results provide fresh evidence that one of the components of the Antikythera mechanism was most likely used to track the Greek lunar year" the researchers stated. Co-author Graham Woan emphasized the precision of the hole placement, which required very accurate measuring techniques and an extremely steady hand.
