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World's oldest computer link to early Olympics (8/1/2008)
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| computer tomography of the Antikythera Mechanism's main fragment allowed for accurate modelling. |
A 2,100-year-old computer recorded the dates of the early Olympiads, according to experts.
An international team of scientists, including Dr John Steele, of Durham University, also found that the ancient Greek calculating machine could predict eclipses.
The findings, based on an examination of the Antikythera Mechanism, have been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature.
"We knew that this 2,100 year-old ancient Greek mechanism calculated complex cycles of mathematical astronomy. It really surprised us to discover that it also showed the four-year cycle of ancient Greek games, including the Olympic Games," said research scientist, Dr Tony Freeth of Images First Ltd UK.
"The first clues that suggested a link with the ancient cycle of Greek games came when the word 'NEMEA' was read near a small subsidiary dial on the Mechanism.
"This was the site of the Nemean Games, one of the prominent 'crown' games, which were part of the Olympiad cycle.
"Other names followed, 'ISTHMIA' for the games at Corinth, 'PYTHIA' for the games at Delphi and finally the hard-to-read 'OLYMPIA' for the Olympic Games."
The Antikythera Mechanism is named after the tiny island of Antikythera, between Crete and mainland Greece where it was discovered.
In 1900, Greek sponge divers found the wreck of a 1st Century BC Roman merchant vessel, stuffed full of Greek treasures-including beautiful bronzes, amphorae, glassware and pottery.
In the subsequent archaeology organized by the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, they also recovered a corroded and calcified lump, about the size of a large dictionary.
Disregarded at the time, it has proved to be one of the deepest mysteries from the ancient world.
Using 3-D X-rays, the researchers have managed to read all the month names on a sophisticated 19-year calendar on the back of the Mechanism.
The mechanism dates to around 150 to 100 BC. It was previously shown to display the date, positions of the Sun and Moon (including its variable motion), the phase of the Moon, a complex 19-year calendar and sophisticated eclipse prediction dials.
Another aspect of the new work has been a deeper understanding of how the Mechanism predicted eclipses.
"It has been a real struggle to understand the organisation of these predictions since they don't conform to the pattern we might have expected from Babylonian astronomy," said Dr John Steele, in Durham's Department of Physics.
"The Saros cycle of eclipses means that each time an eclipse repeats it happens eight hours later in the day. The Mechanism also includes a small dial that tells the user how to make this time adjustment."
The new research paper has four authors: Dr Tony Freeth (Images First Ltd, UK), Professor Alexander Jones (Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, USA), Dr John M. Steele (Durham University, UK) and Yanis Bitsakis (Athens University & Centre for History and Palaeography, Athens, Greece).
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Durham University
Comments:
| 1. |
charlie |
8/3/2008 12:00:05 PM MST |
Sorry, but what was the link with the olimpic games? I mean i have a spoon that says china on it and a knife inscribed with sheffield. Does that mean theres been games in sheffield? |
| 2. |
to charlie |
8/3/2008 3:02:21 PM MST |
It means that those cities have been related by each having specific games which were connected to the Olympic games.
Your spoon and knife with China and Sheffield written on them, don't have anything in common.
Please, just think about it before posting nonsenses...
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| 3. |
boofhead |
8/3/2008 5:43:23 PM MST |
what a lot b......t this is 1960 junk and this is the 15 site i seen spreading different lies get a real life |
| 4. |
paresh |
8/3/2008 9:51:57 PM MST |
nice, thanks for sharing. |
| 5. |
jason |
8/4/2008 12:26:45 AM MST |
boofhead you're an idiot, how about looking something up before dismissing it. official website of the discovery:
http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr/project/overview
and why is it when there's something new discovered every internet retard is instantly skeptical because they've never been outside of their own damn house and seen the wonders this world has, and also her great history?
that's the stupidest, now for stupid up there, charlie, it's got a cycle on it of the original olympics, you know that greek one that the modern day olympics is based off of? that's not a big enough of a link for you? perhaps they should have discovered it in china, though if it were from ancient china and not just something dropped in the past month it probably wouldn't have anything to do with the olympics...whoops.
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| 6. |
ubidubi |
8/4/2008 4:45:47 AM MST |
you're right on the money jason. this is a fantastic discovery. |
| 7. |
to jason |
8/4/2008 7:51:53 AM MST |
lol.
sensationalist much? "seen the wonders the world has, and ALSO HER GREAT HISTORY?"
good god, you should be an editor for the new york times. i bet you'll be chillin with Homer and Shakespeare in the afterlife.
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| 8. |
jason |
8/4/2008 8:18:08 AM MST |
see that right there is what is wrong with everyone today. what's so sensationalist about that? why does no one have a sense of wonder anymore?
a great discovery is made and instead of, "oh look science has proven that this is legit. wow what else could the greeks have created that was destroyed by the romans and left at the bottom of the sea?" we have idiots like boofhead being instantly skeptical (real or not) just because they don't think it could possibly exist, and because i point this out and what, am proud to live during a time where the whole scope of our history is available if we can just find it i'm called sensationalist?
plus i don't think homer of shakespeare would like my grammar or punctuation...pretty sure the NYT wouldn't either, plus the editors job isn't to write, or sensationalize, and lead editor of the NYT...i don't think that person has done any actual writing since he/she got that job
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| 9. |
To Jason |
8/4/2008 9:11:08 PM MST |
You're my new internet hero. |
| 10. |
kmg |
8/6/2008 10:03:27 PM MST |
Interesting discovery I'll have to find out more about. It's a shame people are using this article to just rant about things instead of doing their own research before complaining about whether a story is legit or not. It's just a story. Supposed to be an interesting discovery. Everyone these days acts like some random blog is personally attacking them. How immature. Nice story. Thanks. |
| 11. |
frankc |
8/7/2008 7:35:25 AM MST |
i don't think we're going to find flying machines or bits of star ship in the wine dark seas but finding an early computing device (besides being close to miraculous) shows that their minds were fully modern ... 2500 years ago.
the real question is: can that thing tell me who's going to win this election?
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| 12. |
Yonatan |
8/7/2008 7:41:08 AM MST |
how is this a computer? its not programmable. this is a calculator. |
| 13. |
PK |
8/9/2008 7:57:03 PM MST |
How is a calculator not a computer? |
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