The Antikythera Mechanism is a complex device made of bronze, housed in a wooden frame, discovered in 1900. It was found 60 meters underwater by sponge divers at a shipwreck off the coast of Antikythera. A recent study conducted by researchers from Mar del Plata University in Argentina explores this ancient computing device.
The Antikythera Mechanism is considered one of the first computing systems, a clockwork device with dozens of high-precision gears that rotate around multiple axes, similar to mechanical clocks.
The most widely accepted theory about its function is that it was an analog computer, designed to calculate the movements of celestial bodies. According to this theory, it was created around 87 BCE by the Rhodian astronomer Geminos.
The mechanism was first studied by archaeologist Valerios Stais, who, on May 17, 1902, noticed that one of its stone parts contained an integrated gear. This discovery marked it as the oldest surviving device with gears.
However, a recent study suggests that the triangular shape of the gears and construction errors in the mechanism could have made its readings inaccurate, eventually leading to its malfunction. The Antikythera Mechanism is a complex system that works similarly to mechanical clocks.
Analysis of the Mechanism’s Function. Photo: Credit: Esteban Guillermo Szigety / Gustavo Francisco Arenas
Doubts About the Mechanism’s Accuracy
Although only fragments of the mechanism have survived, earlier studies have reconstructed its design and main functions, such as determining the positions of the Sun and Moon, identifying days with eclipses, and calculating calendrical cycles.
However, the accuracy of the mechanism has raised doubts among experts. Argentine researchers, led by Professor Esteban Guillermo Szigety and Dr. Gustavo Arenas, focused on two key factors: the triangular shape of the mechanism’s gears and construction flaws.
Unlike modern mechanisms, which have curved teeth to smooth the movement, the gears of the Antikythera Mechanism had V-shaped teeth.
This design caused minor accelerations and decelerations in the movement, leading to small inaccuracies.
Using a computational simulator, the team confirmed that under ideal conditions (without construction errors), the triangular teeth produced small deviations in the indicators. For example, the lunar indicator showed a maximum deviation of just 2.5 degrees, an acceptable margin for time. However, the problem arose when the gears combined with the construction flaws.
Reconstruction of the Original Antikythera Mechanism. Photo: Kgbo / Wikimedia Commons
Possible Defects in the Mechanism
The study also considered errors noted by scientists like Mike Edmunds, who analyzed CT scan images of the mechanism.
Edmunds identified two types of errors: random errors, which were small deviations in the positioning of the gears, and systematic errors, which were sinusoidal shifts caused by off-center axes or incorrect markings during construction.
When these errors were simulated in a computational model, the researchers discovered that while the deviations in the indicators remained manageable (as estimated by Edmunds), the mechanism had a more significant issue: the blocking or desynchronization of the system.
The team revealed that with the estimated construction errors, the mechanism may have stopped functioning as early as 120 days after use (about one-third of the annual cycle).
In some cases, the gears completely stuck, halting the entire system. In other instances, delays occurred, desynchronizing some of the indicators.
If the errors were as significant as Edmunds calculated, the mechanism may not have been fully operational, according to the researchers. Whether it worked or not, the initial errors were smaller, but after 2,000 years underwater, they became more pronounced and severe. The study supports Edmunds’ earlier theory that the mechanism may have been a pedagogical tool rather than a functional system for calculating astronomical movements.
Although Edmunds’ estimates were not infallible, they were sufficient to teach astronomical concepts.
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