In year 1900 divers found a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera between Kythera and Crete. Archaeologist Spyridon Stais discovered later in 1902 that one of the stone pieces were embedded rack. Now the so-called Antikythera Mechanism calculated to be the world's oldest computer. It probably dates from the year 150 BC.
Antikythera Mechanism is an artifact from antiquity to the size of a shoebox, which for a long time did not know what was. It contains more than 30 gears and rotating discs, and is now divided into three main pieces and some smaller fragments. It filled with Greek inscriptions.
Now British researchers recreated a functional copy of the ancient computer. In a video on youtube (see link below), he explains how the computer works.
Compared with modern computers, there are many advantages of the Greek machine. It uses no power and is thus very environmentally friendly, it never goes down and it will not be affected by virus.
But then the functions are also a little limited. The machine shows the Egyptian and Greek calendar, the positions of the moon and then five known etter level. It can be used to predict solar and lunar eclipse and Olympia down, held every four years in ancient Greece.
The original mechanism is exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens in Bronze session along with a replication. Another replication is in the American Computer Museum in Bozeman, Montana
Video with researcher Michael Wright
Video on the Antikythera Mechanism
No comments:
Post a Comment