Mystery of ancient Greek device ‘solved’ by Glasgow astronomers

It is one of the oldest known machines created by man, but its true purpose has been lost in the mists of time.

But now scientists working with cutting-edge technology to delve into the mysteries of the universe believe they may have unlocked the secrets of the Antikythera Mechanism – and they did it in their spare time.

The mechanism dates back to the 2nd century BC and was discovered in 1901 by divers examining a sunken shipwreck near the island of Antikythera in the Aegean Sea.

The device, which appeared to be the size of a shoebox when completed, was broken into fragments, including a complex series of gears and cogs with extremely complex gearing.

The machine has fascinated researchers for over a century and was featured as a time travel device in the film Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny.

After decades of research, it has been proposed that the device – often described as the oldest known analog computer – is a form of solar calendar, capable of predicting the positions of the moon, planets and eclipses up to ten years in advance.

No construct of comparable complexity was created until the 14th century, although the exact function of the mechanism is still a matter of debate.

The mechanism is severely degraded (Photo: NQ)

Scientists in Glasgow now say they have solved part of the puzzle thanks to techniques used to analyze ripples in space-time detected by one of the most sensitive pieces of scientific equipment in the 21st century.

Astronomers from the University of Glasgow used statistical modelling techniques originally developed to study gravitational waves released by colliding black holes and applied them to one of the mechanism’s rings.

In 2020, new X-rays of one of the device’s segments, known as the calendar ring, revealed new details of regularly spaced holes underneath. But because the ring had been damaged, it was unclear exactly how many holes there were originally.

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Initial analysis by Antikythera researcher Chris Budiselic and his colleagues suggested that it was likely to be from between 347 and 367.

Working over the Christmas period, Glasgow scientists used two statistical analysis techniques to discover new details about the calendar ring and concluded that the artifact was “much” more likely to have had 354 holes.

This corresponds to the lunar calendar, meaning the device can also track the path of the Moon as well as other celestial bodies.

The astronomers’ findings were published in an article in the Horological Journal.

Scientists are more accustomed to exploring the secrets of space (Photo: University of Glasgow)

Professor Graham Woan from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow, one of the paper’s authors, said: ‘Late last year, a colleague of mine pointed me to data collected by YouTuber Chris Budiselic, who wanted to make a replica of a calendar ring and was researching ways to find out exactly how many holes there are. in it he finds.

“It seemed like an interesting problem and I thought I could solve it in a different way over Christmas, so I started using some statistical techniques to answer the question.”

Professor Woan used a technique called Bayesian analysis, which uses probability to quantify uncertainty from incomplete data, to calculate the likely number of holes in the mechanism based on the location of the remaining holes and the arrangement of the six surviving ring fragments.

His results showed strong evidence that the mechanism’s calendar ring contained 354 or 355 holes.

At the same time, one of Professor Woan’s colleagues at the University’s Institute for Gravitational Research, Dr. Joseph Bayley, also heard about the problem. He adapted the techniques used by their research group to analyze signals from the LIGO gravitational-wave detectors, which measure tiny ripples in space-time, to study the calendar ring.

The methods used by Woan and Bayley provided an extensive probabilistic set of results and again suggested that the ring most likely contains 354 or 355 holes in a circle of radius 77.1 mm, with an uncertainty of about 1/3 mm.

The test results also prove that the holes were placed precisely and with extreme accuracy, and the average radial difference between each hole was only 0.028 mm.

The device appeared in the latest Indiana Jones movie (Photo: PA)

Bayley, a co-author of the paper, is a research associate in the School of Physics & Astronomy. He said: “Previous research has suggested that the calendar ring probably tracked the lunar calendar, but the dual techniques we used in this work greatly increase the likelihood that this was the case.

“It gave me a new appreciation for the Antikythera Mechanism and the work and care that Greek craftsmen put into making it – the precision of the holes would have required very precise measuring techniques and an incredibly steady hand to punch them out.

Professor Woan added: “It’s a curious symmetry that we have adapted the techniques we use to study the universe today to better understand the mechanism that helped humans track the sky almost two thousand years ago.

“We hope that our discoveries of the Antikythera Mechanism, while less supernaturally spectacular than those made by Indiana Jones, will help deepen our understanding of how this extraordinary device was built and used by the Greeks.”

The article, titled “Improved Calendar Hole Count for the Antikythera Mechanism: Fresh Analysis,” was published in the Horological Journal.