Cicero's Computer Discovered

[M. Porcius Cato]

The current issue of the journal Nature reports on what may be the most impressive archaeological discovery of the century--the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient forerunner to Babbage's Computational Engine, found in a shipwreck dating to the era of the Roman republic (shortly after 85 BCE). Although the device was originally discovered in 1901, its importance was unclear because it was unknown precisely how the device functioned--until now. Researchers have finally decoded the whole mechanism:

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The computational device, described by Cicero as one "which at each revolution reproduces the same motions of the Sun, the Moon and the five planets that take place in the heavens every day and night", was apparently from Rhodes and may have been based on the astronomical calculations of Hipparchos. A similar mechanism was described as having been stolen from Archimedes after the Roman conquest of Syracusa.

 

Edited November 29, 2006 by M. Porcius Cato

[Pantagathus]

NPR did a piece on it yesterday as well: Intricacies of Ancient Lunar-Cycle Machine Revealed

 

I chuckled when one guy on there said it was probably made for some rich guy to impress his guests...

 

Surely not

[M. Porcius Cato]

I don't know whether it was MADE by a rich guy to impress his guests (maybe it was, but so what?). However, Marcellus stole one from Syracuse, and he loved to impress his guests with it. Definitely not Rome at its finest. Reminds me of that rube who proposed to assemble all the philosophers of Athens to "settle things once and for all" (or at least that's what Cicero jibed).