Antikythera mechanism

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Antikythera mechanism

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Viewing 21 posts - 1 through 21 (of 21 total)
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  • #141710
    Speedy Builder5
    Participant
      @speedybuilder5

      I was watching a fascinating film on the discovery of this ancient Greek instrument, albeit on French ARTE tv channel. It may be of interest to some of you.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism

      Follow the link to Michael Wright who re-constructed a model of this clock and with his knowledge helped archeologists and scientists understand what they had found. The investigative methods used to unravel the mystery were truly amazing.

      Hope you enjoy the link

      BobH

      Edited By Speedy Builder5 on 26/01/2014 09:13:52

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      #3686
      Speedy Builder5
      Participant
        @speedybuilder5

        Ancient Greek astronomical clock

        #141724
        jason udall
        Participant
          @jasonudall57142

          If memory serves..there has been a thread on this ( acouple of years ago)..if some one would be kind enough to add link here..

          #141727
          John Hinkley
          Participant
            @johnhinkley26699

            Like it says in the wiki link – there was a documentary on the BBC in 2012. I've seen it and it's very interesting. Also, I have noticed that it has been repeated on at least one occasion on, I think, BBC4. It might be possible to view it on iPlayer for those who have access to this facility.

            John

            #141729
            Michael Gilligan
            Participant
              @michaelgilligan61133
              Posted by jason udall on 26/01/2014 10:57:19:
              If memory serves..there has been a thread on this ( acouple of years ago)..if some one would be kind enough to add link here..

              .

              Try these

              … ingnoring the ones that self-reference this thread

              MichaelG.

              #141846
              speelwerk
              Participant
                @speelwerk

                It has no moving parts but it is as fascinating, if not more, as the Greek one. Niko.

                http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sky_disk

                #296298
                not done it yet
                Participant
                  @notdoneityet

                  Is anyone following along and making this project now that "Clickspring" is well into his construction with videos, etc?

                  Far too complex and precise for me, but I am now following this – another of his superb series of videos – in total awe of his skills.

                  #296434
                  Neil Lickfold
                  Participant
                    @neillickfold44316

                    What I want to know, is how did they manage to make something as precise as they did? Where files and forms of lathes common place at that time? What steel tools were available at that time? Did they use forms of ceramic tools back then?

                    Neil

                    #412429
                    Alan Johnson 7
                    Participant
                      @alanjohnson7

                      I had the chance to see the Antikythera Mechanism today at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Truly amazing, especially considering the size, and it was not in one piece – in such a large wreck – and had been under water for 2,000 years!

                      Also amazing is the genius of those who worked out what it was, and made replicas!

                      By some chance has there been a construction article in Model Engineer?

                      Alan.

                      #412431
                      Mike Poole
                      Participant
                        @mikepoole82104

                        It must have been left here by aliens.

                        Mike

                        #412440
                        Former Member
                        Participant
                          @formermember53456

                          [This posting has been removed]

                          #412447
                          Neil Wyatt
                          Moderator
                            @neilwyatt
                            Posted by Alan Johnson 7 on 03/06/2019 18:42:38:

                            I had the chance to see the Antikythera Mechanism today at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Truly amazing, especially considering the size, and it was not in one piece – in such a large wreck – and had been under water for 2,000 years!

                            Also amazing is the genius of those who worked out what it was, and made replicas!

                            By some chance has there been a construction article in Model Engineer?

                            Alan.

                            ME is one of the oldest hobby magazines on the planet, but it isn't quite that old!

                            N.

                            #412448
                            Vic
                            Participant
                              @vic

                              They say it uses Babylonian arithmetic, not Greek trigonometry.

                              Link

                              #412452
                              Brian Oldford
                              Participant
                                @brianoldford70365
                                Posted by Neil Wyatt on 03/06/2019 20:54:16:

                                ME is one of the oldest hobby magazines on the planet, but it isn't quite that old!

                                N.

                                Although some of the contributors may be. smiley

                                #412458
                                FMES
                                Participant
                                  @fmes
                                  Posted by Alan Johnson 7 on 03/06/2019 18:42:38:

                                  I had the chance to see the Antikythera Mechanism today at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Truly amazing, especially considering the size, and it was not in one piece – in such a large wreck – and had been under water for 2,000 years!

                                  Also amazing is the genius of those who worked out what it was, and made replicas!

                                  By some chance has there been a construction article in Model Engineer?

                                  Alan.

                                  I must have been there a couple of days before you alan, took a couple of photos

                                  thumbnail.jpgthumbnail2.jpg

                                  #412463
                                  John Haine
                                  Participant
                                    @johnhaine32865

                                    There's a nice story in one of Richard Feynman's books about visiting the museum, probably in the 1950s and seeing the mechanism, and being gobsmacked by it. Apparently he asked one of the curators what it was, who replied, oh it's just a bit of ancient Greek clockwork…. That was before people like Wright and de Solla Price took X-ray tomography to it. Of course they didn't have machine tools then, though of course any Super-Adepts would have rusted away completely…

                                    #412464
                                    Michael Gilligan
                                    Participant
                                      @michaelgilligan61133
                                      Posted by FMES on 03/06/2019 21:41:54:

                                      I must have been there a couple of days before you alan, took a couple of photos

                                      .

                                      You will probably find those diagrams here: **LINK**

                                      http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/

                                      … and much, much, more

                                      MichaelG.

                                      #412470
                                      Andrew Evans
                                      Participant
                                        @andrewevans67134

                                        They had Myfords then surely

                                        #412471
                                        Robin Graham
                                        Participant
                                          @robingraham42208

                                          I am, Gawd help me, having a go at this following Clickspring's videos. I'm expecting and open to the 'neither am I joke' *. I'm giving myself two years. Seeing him working I waver between inspiration – maybe I could do that – and despair. Trying to follow inspiration at the mo!

                                          Robin.

                                          * I think the origin of the joke was in the fertile mind of Peter Cook – "I'm writing a novel, funny you should say that, neither am I" , but I have a dim recollection that it was was transplanted from the park bench to the clubhouse in an MEW article about grinders '"I''m making a Quorn…" Tony Jeffery possibly?

                                          #412480
                                          Nigel Graham 2
                                          Participant
                                            @nigelgraham2

                                            They may well have had some form of very simple lathe, even if the motive power was an assistant turning a handle, or it was perhaps a pole lathe.

                                            The basic concept of turning, in wood, seems to have been used by the Ancient Egyptians; with an assistant revolving the work-piece directly. The Romans used simple, probably pole-, lathes for furniture making.

                                            As for tools, did the Ancient Greeks have iron? Or could they have used knapped flints in suitable holders to cut the relatively soft bronze? (Flint is silica, I think harder than tungsten-carbide!)

                                            Artefacts from the Bronze Age often show engraved patterns and other examples of cut work, so having discovered how to make the alloys in the first place, the ancients don't seem to have taken too long (historically) to develop methods of working them into items often both functional and aesthetically beautiful.

                                            #412483
                                            I.M. OUTAHERE
                                            Participant
                                              @i-m-outahere
                                              This is a series on building the mechanism , Clickspring ( aka Chris ) uses old time and modern techniques to make it .
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