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cover of episode The Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera Mechanism

2024/12/12
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In Our Time
AI Deep Dive AI Insights AI Chapters Transcript
People
J
Jo Marchant
L
Liba Taub
M
Melvyn Bragg
M
Mike Edmunds
Topics
Melvyn Bragg: 本节目讨论了安提基特拉机械这一2000年前的装置，它改变了我们对古希腊天文学的理解。它于1900年被发现，最初被认为只是一块腐蚀的青铜块，但后来被证实是一个复杂的模拟计算机，其复杂程度在古代世界中是独一无二的，直到中世纪才再次出现。 Mike Edmunds: 安提基特拉机械可能是一个高地位的物品，被用来展示希腊人在宇宙方面的知识，也可能是作为一种身份象征。这艘沉船沿着东地中海到意大利的常用贸易路线航行，船上的物品可能属于某个富有的官员。安提基特拉机械的制作和天文学理论的发展是相互影响的，可能存在知识和技术的双向交流。 Jo Marchant: 安提基特拉机械是一个类似鞋盒大小的木盒，里面装有青铜齿轮，可以通过手柄转动，显示太阳、月亮和行星的运行轨迹，以及日历、奥运会等信息，并可以预测日食。安提基特拉机械的发现改变了我们对古希腊科技水平的认知，纠正了以往低估其科技成就的偏见。20世纪80年代以后，随着科技的进步，人们对安提基特拉机械的了解更加深入，发现了更多细节，例如其可以预测日食的功能。安提基特拉机械内部的精巧设计体现了古希腊人的高超技艺，它并非孤立存在，它代表了古代科技的积累和传承，并受到巴比伦天文学的影响。 Liba Taub: 在安提基特拉机械沉没的时期，人们对月球和行星的运动有一定的了解，但对行星的不规则运动难以解释。安提基特拉机械的制作可能需要多人合作，涉及天文学、历法、金属加工等多个方面。安提基特拉机械不仅是一个天文仪器，也反映了古希腊人对宇宙的整体观，以及他们对天文和占星的融合理解。安提基特拉机械的委托人可能是一个富有的希腊人或罗马人，它可能是作为一种身份象征、娱乐工具或教育工具而被制作的。关于安提基特拉机械，还有很多未解之谜，例如其制作人和委托人等。安提基特拉机械显示古希腊人在工程技术方面的造诣超出了我们的预期。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

What is the Antikythera Mechanism and what did it look like?

The Antikythera Mechanism was a sophisticated ancient Greek analogue computer, resembling a wooden box filled with bronze gear wheels, about the size of a shoebox. It featured dials on the front and back, showing the movements of the sun, moon, and planets, as well as a star calendar and eclipse predictions.

How was the Antikythera Mechanism discovered?

The mechanism was found in 1900 by Greek sponge divers who discovered a 2,000-year-old shipwreck off the coast of the island of Antikythera. It was initially mistaken for a lump of corroded bronze, but its true nature was revealed when it broke open.

What was the purpose of the Antikythera Mechanism?

The mechanism served as a portable model of the universe, displaying the positions of celestial bodies, a star calendar, and even predicting eclipses. It also included a dial showing the timing of athletic games, such as the Olympics, and may have been a status symbol or conversation piece for the elite.

Who were the key figures in the study of the Antikythera Mechanism?

Derek Price, a physicist and historian of science, was instrumental in the 1950s and 1970s, using X-rays to reveal the gear wheels inside. Later, Michael Wright and Tony Freeth led further research using advanced CT scanning and imaging technology.

What was the significance of the Antikythera Mechanism in the history of technology?

The mechanism demonstrated the advanced engineering and astronomical knowledge of the ancient Greeks, showing a level of complexity not seen again until the Middle Ages. It laid the groundwork for modern mechanical technology, influencing clocks, timekeeping, and the Industrial Revolution.

Why did the Antikythera Mechanism disappear after the ancient period?

The mechanism likely disappeared due to the decline of Greek culture and the rise of Christianity, which may have viewed such devices as pagan or irrelevant. Additionally, bronze objects were often melted down for reuse, leading to the loss of many ancient artifacts.

What role did Babylonian astronomy play in the development of the Antikythera Mechanism?

Babylonian astronomy influenced Greek astronomers like Hipparchus, who incorporated Babylonian observations and eclipse prediction methods. These influences are evident in the mechanism's eclipse dial and the use of Babylonian cycles for astronomical calculations.

What are some unanswered questions about the Antikythera Mechanism?

Key questions include who commissioned the device, who made it, and why it was on the ship. Additionally, more information is needed about the human side of its creation, such as the workshop or individuals involved, and the broader context of its use.

Chapters
The podcast begins by introducing the Antikythera Mechanism, a remarkable discovery from a 2,000-year-old shipwreck. Its initial appearance as a corroded lump of bronze belies its true nature as an intricate astronomical calculator, far ahead of its time.
  • Discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism in a 2,000-year-old shipwreck
  • Initial appearance as corroded bronze
  • Revealed to be a complex astronomical calculator
  • Significance in marine archaeology

Shownotes Transcript

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 2000-year-old device which transformed our understanding of astronomy in ancient Greece. In 1900 a group of sponge divers found the wreck of a ship off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera. Among the items salvaged was a corroded bronze object, the purpose of which was not at first clear. It turned out to be one of the most important discoveries in marine archaeology. Over time, researchers worked out that it was some kind of astronomical analogue computer, the only one to survive from this period as bronze objects were so often melted down for other uses. In recent decades, detailed examination of the Antikythera Mechanism using the latest scientific techniques indicates that it is a particularly intricate tool for showing the positions of planets, the sun and moon, with a complexity and precision not surpassed for over a thousand years.

With

Mike Edmunds Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics at Cardiff University

Jo Marchant Science journalist and author of 'Decoding the Heavens' on the Antikythera Mechanism

And

Liba Taub Professor Emerita in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Scholar at the Deutsches Museum, Munich

Producer: Simon Tillotson In Our Time is a BBC Studios Audio Production

Reading list:

Derek de Solla Price, Gears from the Greeks: The Antikythera Mechanism (American Philosophical Society Press, 1974)

M. G. Edmunds, ‘The Antikythera mechanism and the mechanical universe’ (Contemp. Phys. 55, 2014)

M.G. Edmunds, ’The Mechanical Universe’ (Astronomy & Geophysics, 64, 2023)

James Evans and J. Lennart Berggren, Geminos's Introduction to the Phenomena: A Translation and Study of a Hellenistic Survey of Astronomy (Princeton University Press, 2006)

T. Freeth et al., ‘Calendars with Olympiad display and eclipse prediction on the Antikythera mechanism’ (Nature 454, 2008)

Alexander Jones, A Portable Cosmos: Revealing the Antikythera Mechanism, Scientific Wonder of the Ancient World (Oxford University Press, 2017)

Jo Marchant, Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World’s First Computer (Windmill Books, 2009)

J.H. Seiradakis and M.G. Edmunds, ‘Our current knowledge of the Antikythera Mechanism’ (Nature Astronomy 2, 2018)

Liba Taub, Ancient Greek and Roman Science: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2022)