ANCIENT GREEK COMPUTER

Results of new research on the Antikythera device to be presented in November 2006

What is this enigmatic object found off the coast of Attica in 70 pieces? Most of it is in The National Archaeological Museum of Athens, but there is a piece in Bozeman, Montana. Can you identify this bronze object which is the subject of so much ongoing research around the world? You have something akin to it in your own home. This is a piece of one of the first computers in history.

Much has been written about the ancient Greeks disregard of helpful technology and this is due to their low regard of labor in general. Most manual labor was performed by slaves and they were plentiful and cheap. There seemed to be little incentive for creating ways to make a slaves tasks easier.This early analog computer was designed to instantly calculate the positions of the planets and that was no task for a slave.

It was discovered in the wreck of a Roman ship off the coast of the island of Antikythera, a part of the prefecture of West Attica.

Read a complete description by Derick J.de Solla Price HERE This article from the June 1959 Scientific American explains with text and illustrations the history and workings of this surprisingly sophisticated device.

A commentary on Dr. Price's work with updated information is HERE

A1993 abstract by Rob S. Rice published by The University Of Pennsylvania adds some historical perspective to the device HERE

A small book on the object has been published and is available HERE

"The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project is planning a major conference in Athens in the autumn of 2006 (November 30 and December 1st) to present their research findings. These results promise to open a new chapter in the understanding of this extraordinary mechanism." New technology applications have added to the knowledge of this device and shall be presented in November in Athens. The web site of The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project is HERE

New computer technologies promise to unravel the secrets of the oldest computing device in history.