Το Δ.Σ. χαιρετίζουμε τη σημαντική αυτή έρευνα του κυρίου Ξενοφώντα Διον. Μουσά,
Kαθηγητή Φυσικής Διαστήματος (συνταξιούχου), Τομέα Αστροφυσικής, Αστρονομίας και Μηχανικής, Τμήματος Φυσικής της Σχολής Θετικών Επιστημών, του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών
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The Antikythera Mechanism goes to Boston
The oldest known computer made in Greece sometime between 150 to 100 BC goes to Boston to the beautiful Stonehill College where you can see the very interesting exhibition that includes a bronze model of the mechanism made by Mr Dionysios Kriaris. The exhibition is designed by professor Xenophon Moussas of the University of Athens and prepared by Stonehill College. Prof. Xenophon Moussas will give some talks organized by Stonehill including one titled The oldest computer and tablet, the clockwork Cosmos called Antikythera Mechanism, and the laws of physics. The exhibition and the one week visit of X. Moussas is organized by Stonehill College, by Dr Alessandro Massarotti, Professor Candice Smith Corby, Professor of Religious Studies Joseph Favazza, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Associate Provost Associate Professor of Chemistry Maria Curtin, Prof. Yannis Evrigenis (Tafts University)
Several talks are organized at Stonehill College, Center of Astrophysics Harvard, Tafts University
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Xenophon Moussas
Professor in Space Physics (ret.)
Department of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics
Faculty of Physics
School of Science
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
http://artemis-iv.phys.uoa.gr/
Xenophon Moussas
Professor in Space Physics (ret.)
Department of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics
Faculty of Physics
School of Science
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
http://artemis-iv.phys.uoa.gr/
if you like you canpublish the following article too:
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The oldest tablet, the clockwork Cosmos called Antikythera Mechanism, and the laws of physics
'Pythagoras doctrine is that numbers have maximal power to describe and understand nature and he is always referred to numbers, as for example the periods of celestial bodies, Plutarch '
Xenophon Moussas
Department of Astrophysics, Astronomy and Mechanics
Faculty of Physics, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Panepistimiopolis, GR 15783 Zographou, Athens
Abstract
The Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest known computer that in fact was originally called tablet (PINAKIDION in Greek which means little table, i.e. tablet, in Greek). It is a relatively accurate and realistic clockwork Cosmos, a Planetarium, most probably an astronomical clock. It is an instrument probably made during the second half of the 2nd century BCE, somewhere in the Greek World. It works with carefully designed bronze gears that perform the appropriate mathematical operations to predict astronomical phenomena, like the position of the Sun and the Moon in the sky, the age (phase) of the Moon, with an ingenious method that is a good approximation of Kepler;’s second law using an equivalent of a two term Fourier series and it probably gives the position of the planets using the same mathematical method but with a different combination of gears, what we call planetary gears. It predicts solar and lunar eclipses. We have discovered a set of gears that I interpret as planetary gear that predicts the motion and position of planet Jupiter using an equivalent of Fourier series with two terms.
A very important question is whether the mechanism is actually a clock with continuous motion. The answer is based on ancient Greek texts that describe automata and locks and I will present the case that it moves with a mechanism of weight and counter weights, like to clock of Archimedes, regulated by a float the is in a prismatic container of water where the level increases with constant rate.
The Antikythera Mechanism is the epitome, i.e. the best example, of Greek Philosophy, the Natural Philosophy of the Greek philosophers mainly the natural philosophers, the Ionian philosophers, the Pythagoreans. To imagine that you can predict natural phenomena, to conceive the construction of such a machine, a computer, an automaton, which reproduces the movements of celestial bodies, predicts the phases of the Moon, the eclipses, is required for a civilization to have: a) the notion of determinism, b) that there the laws of nature, c) that the laws of nature are expressed with precision only with appropriate mathematics, d) that natural phenomena are understood and interpreted with the laws of physics, e) and sometimes predicted by the laws of nature.
To construct such a mechanism a civilization has to develop what is now called modeling in science, i.e. in reality to conceive, develop and put in operation the doctrine of the Pythagorean philosophy that everything is properly described with mathematics that the laws of physics can be expressed.
The mechanism is much more advanced than any other ancient device, like astrolabes, the astronomical clocks that appeared in Western Europe for the first time around the 14th century.
The mechanism is exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, where many other treasures found in an ancient shipwreck that sunk in the 1st century BCE near the little Greek island of Antikythera, between Peloponnese and Crete, in a spot that was in the sea route between Greece mainland, and Asia Minor, the Aegean Sea in general, and Italy, Rome most probably was the destination of the huge ship full of treasures.
The gears have been designed to perform appropriate mathematical operations to predict all the then known astronomical phenomena. It really is realistic clockwork Cosmos, with the Moon following Kepler’s second law. The mechanism probably was very luxurious in appearance, with ornaments like a Rococo clock, because the taste of that era was similar. The mechanism is the dream of any astronomer of that time or even of today.
The study of the mechanism permits to understand much better the way humans use science in antiquity and one of our conclusions is that the level of mathematics, mechanics and astronomy is much higher than estimated so far by the global scientific community, even by specialists.
The mechanism predicts solar and lunar eclipses. It predicts both solar and lunar eclipses and shows the result on two dials one spiral dial that lasts a Saros cycle of 18years, 11 days and 8 hours and an Exeligmos cycle of 54 years and a month. The phase of the moon and the month in a Greek calendar that lasts 19 years which is Meton’s cycle, calendar the we use today for Easter determination.
Another surprise was the Olympiad dial and circular display lasting 4 years with indications of important Greek festivities, the Olympic Games (assumed that they have started in 776 BCE), the Pythian the Isthmian the Naan and the Isthmian games. The games included theatrical, musical, poetical and other artistic competitions and they had big political influence.
A recent surprise is that in the user manual of the Mechanism that is written on copper sheets that are the covers of this double faced astronomical clock give details of the motion of all the planets including some extremely long periodicities of the planets of the order of five centuries, 462 year for Venus and 442 years for Saturn.
A bronze model of the mechanism made by Mr Dionysios Kriaris will be shown during the talk.
Please visit the exhibition of the Antikythera Mechanism at Stonehill College Boston from Wednesday September 19th, 2017 till Monday, September 25th, 2017
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