Recent research from the National University of Mar del Plata suggests that the ancient Antikythera Mechanism may not have been a functioning device, as computer simulations indicate it could get stuck or the teeth would disengage. Scientists modeled the behavior of the mechanism's gears and teeth, integrating errors noted in previous studies that showed potential misfitting or irregular spacing. The simulations revealed that while the triangular shape of the gear teeth did not pose a major problem, poor spacing between the gear teeth could cause rapid and frequent blockages. This would render the mechanism unfit for serious scientific use, potentially limiting its ability to predict astronomical phenomena as previously believed.
Considering that only fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism have survived, the scientists acknowledge the speculative nature of their conclusions. Their study was published on the arXiv server, indicating that the manufacturing errors in the mechanism exceeded allowable limits for stable operation.
The researchers propose that the Antikythera Mechanism was not necessarily intended for real calculations. Instead, it might have been a symbolic gift or a toy reflecting ancient Greek ideas about the cosmos. Nevertheless, the work shows that assessing the accuracy and purpose of the Antikythera Mechanism requires even more thorough research and refined methods. These findings put into question the possibility of the mechanism's practical use.
The Antikythera Mechanism, often called the world's oldest computer, is a 2,000-year-old artifact discovered in 1901 in a submerged shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera. According to Archaeology Magazine, historians believe it was used to predict the positions of celestial bodies, including eclipses and the movements of planets. More than a century ago, a group of sponge divers discovered the remains of a sunken cargo ship near the island, which contained a treasure trove of antiquities, including coins, jewelry, glassware, a 2.13-meter statue of Hercules, and three life-sized marble horses.
Archaeologists believe that the Antikythera Mechanism could be used to predict astronomical phenomena such as eclipses and the movements of planets, simulating the movements of the Sun, Moon, and possibly known planets of the time using a hand crank. The mechanism remained at the bottom of the sea since the 2nd century BCE and underwent corrosion, which may have warped or distorted its components far beyond their original state, making it difficult to fully reconstruct the mechanism.
Only one-third of the Antikythera Mechanism remains, and currently, 82 rusty pieces, including 30 of its gears, are available. The device consists of a hand crank and a series of interlocking bronze gears, and in the past, it was a bronze box about 30 centimeters high that included a collection of intertwined gears.
In 2006, Mike Edmunds and his colleagues suggested that the Antikythera Mechanism might have been intended for educational use or simple exhibition. However, researchers Esteban Zigetti and Gustavo Arenas consider this scenario improbable, writing: "The time, know-how, and resources necessary to manufacture the Antikythera Mechanism suggest, on the contrary, that it was a serious and sophisticated instrument, designed to function with a certain reliability."
According to Zigetti, the most probable explanation is that previous analyses overestimated the errors. He said: "If the measurements of the errors in Edmunds' studies are accurate, this mechanism couldn't even move, because it would either jam or the gears would come apart. One would turn and the other wouldn't." Edmunds responded: "Even if the errors were less than our estimate and the device worked, the main conclusion of my paper doesn't change: the lunar indicator at the front of the device wasn't very accurate."
The researchers note that it is possible that current measurements of the Antikythera Mechanism's gears and teeth are off. After 2,000 years underwater, the bronze of the mechanism has turned into a brittle material called atacamite, which is more fragile than bronze; it cracked and shrank once removed from the water, altering the original dimensions of the computer. Aristides Voulgaris from the Thessaloniki Department of Culture and Tourism in Greece said: "Any attempt to measure accurately in the current state of the gears and axles also includes the effect of deformation over time. Thus, we cannot say that based on our precise measurements, this mechanism never worked."
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.