Thursday 29 September 2011

The Antikythera Mechanism

A recent Gresham College lecture well worth attention: 
 A lecture by Jo Marchant, author of Decoding the Heavens.

"In 1900 a group of sponge divers blown off course in the Mediterranean discovered an Ancient Greek shipwreck dating from around 70 BC. Lying unnoticed for months amongst their hard-won haul was what appeared to be a formless lump of corroded rock. It turned out to be the most stunning scientific artefact we have from antiquity. For more than a century this 'Antikythera mechanism' puzzled academics. It was ancient clockwork, unmatched in complexity for 1000 years - but who could have made it, and what was it for? Now, more than 2000 years after the device was lost at sea, scientists have pieced together its intricate workings and revealed its secrets."




 The video lecture is the sixth on this set from  Early Mathematics Day 
Several of the others are quite enjoyable also.
For a look at a  Lego version created by some clever guys, go here.

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