Ancient Greeks used "computer" to set Olympics date

[WhiteFeather]

What I have always found interesting about history we always "assume" that ancient people were backwards primitive people. Finding rare Stuff like this doesn’t fit conveniently in the history books fairy tale version.


Ancient Greeks used "computer" to set Olympics date



LONDON (Reuters) - A mechanical brass calculator used by the ancient Greeks to predict solar and lunar eclipses was probably also used to set the dates for the first Olympic games, researchers said on Wednesday.

The Antikythera Mechanism was retrieved from a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901, an example of the technological prowess of the ancient Greeks.

Researchers reporting in the journal Nature said they had now discovered that the device, made at the end of the 2nd century BC, used an intricate set of bronze gearwheels, dials and inscriptions to set the games' date.

The ancient Olympic Games, which marked the start of a four-year timespan called an Olympiad, began on the full moon closest to the summer solstice, which meant calculating the timing required expertise in astronomy.

Using three-dimensional, X-ray technology, researchers deciphered tiny inscriptions buried inside the device's fragmented brass pieces that pointed to its Olympic role.

The name "Nemea" was found near a small dial on the mechanism, a reference to the site of one of the prominent games in the Olympiad cycle, the researchers said. Locations such as Olympia also appeared.

"It really surprised us to discover that it also showed the four-year cycle of ancient Greek games, including the Olympic Games," said Tony Freeth, a researcher at the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project who worked on the study.

The ancient Olympics were first recorded in 776 BC and continued until they were banned by the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius I around 394 AD.

Scientists had thought the device originated in the Eastern Mediterranean because it was found among items from that region, Freeth added in a telephone interviewBut the names of months used were of Corinthian origin, which indicates the mechanism comes from the other side of the Greek world in northwestern Greece, Corfu or Sicily, Freeth said.

Devices of such complexity were not seen in the West again until the appearance of medieval cathedral clocks.

The latest modern-day Olympic Games will open on Aug 8, a date chosen by their Chinese hosts because it is pronounced like the word "fa", part of the expression meaning "to get wealthy".

[normanvin]

I watch the history channel and a few other history type channels all of the time. It never hurts to learn something.

[ScaredOnce]

This is very interesting, thanks for bringing it up. I too watch way too much of the history channel since my ex helped me get single, ha. But, I did see a show which detailed a lot of interesting facts about the Antikythera Mechanism. It may be available on youtube or elsewhere online; I haven't looked - happy pirating.

But, I really liked learning about it. I guess it was just a decaying pile of muck with a few interesting shapes protruding from it until modern sensing equipment was used to look "inside". It's pretty amazing what ancient cultures accomplished. We look back in awe, and justifiably so, but things like the Antikythera Mechanism are some of the foundations of modern technology.

[LowFlyer]

Hmmmm, so maybe the legend of Atlantis is actually based on reality!?

[ScaredOnce]

Hmmmm, so maybe the legend of Atlantis is actually based on reality!?

Like most ancient legends, it probably is based on some "reality". But, you have to take the world-view of the author(s) into account. The historically fantastic usually is the best way a human with a given knowledge base can relate the details of an event. Many have speculated that the Atlantis tale, specifically, most likely relates to any (and many) great cities or towns that were destroyed by some force of water. Whether it was a flood, tsunami or a landmass which "sunk", try describing a natural disaster such as the previously mentioned with the world-view of the most educated 5000 B.C.E human; hence, Atlantis...

Ever read the Bible??

[ScaredOnce]

By the way, the History Channel show, which I believe the OP and I were mentioning, is on starting right now... 269 on DirectTV HD