The Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest known advanced scientific instrument. It is a dedicated astronomical computer working with gears, constructed by Greek scientists during the Hellenistic period, probably around 150 to 100 BC, somewhere in the Greek World. The Antikythera Mechanism is one of the greatest discoveries of ancient artefacts globally, as it proves that humans conceived and constructed a Mechanical Cosmos much earlier than we believed. It also provides evidence of the long history of advanced technology and miniaturization, as the Mechanism is constructed with very small gears with teeth of the order of 2mm.
The Antikythera Mechanism is a calendar and an astronomical, meteorological, educational and cartographic device. It is the oldest analogue computer, the first known Mechanical Cosmos, probably a Planetarium and possibly an astronomical clock. It was made by Greek scientists, based on appropriate knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, physics, engineering and metallurgy.
The Mechanism is an epitome of Greek natural philosophy, as it models the universe using mathematics, following the Pythagorean doctrine that numbers determine everything and describe nature.
The talk describes the features of the Mechanism, its functions and the recent research that has been carried out on the fragments by an international multidisciplinary team.
