New Contest
First person to tell us the name of this item and it’s purpose will win a nice prize. Good luck!
Update: The winner is Lowry. It is called the Antikythera mecahnism. It was found on the site of a Roman shipwreck dating back to 65 BC. It was rebuilt after many years of hard work by using x-rays and hi-resolution surface scans(see the original Antikythera after the jump). “It is a very accurate device for measuring the movement of astronomical bodies, such as the sun and moon through the phases of the zodiac. The device also allows for the precise prediction of eclipses and accounts for the first lunar anomaly, which is an irregularity in the orbit of the moon.” More info after the jump…
The inclusion of the data about the Olympic Games on what is now called the Olympiad Dial of the clock-like mechanism was a surprise to the researchers because the dates of the ancient Olympics, held every fourth summer from 776 BC to AD 393, would have been well known to the populace, just as the time of the modern Olympics is now.
“The inclusion of the Olympiad Dial says more about the cultural importance of the Games than about their advanced technology,” said Tony Freeth of Images First Ltd. in London, who was a member of the research team that reported the results in the journal Nature.
The Antikythera mechanism, so named because it was found in 1901 in a Roman shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera, is thought to have been made about 100 BC.
Its purpose was a mystery for more than 100 years, but in 2006, researchers used a massive X-ray tomography machine, similar to that used to perform CT scans on humans, to examine the heavily encrusted fragments.
They concluded that the device originally contained 37 gears that formed an astronomical computer.
Two dials on the front show the zodiac and a calendar of the days of the year that can be adjusted for leap years. Metal pointers show the positions in the zodiac of the sun, moon and five planets known in antiquity. Two spiral dials on the back show the cycles of the moon and predict eclipses.
Using more powerful computers to analyze the CT data, Freeth and his colleagues, all affiliated with the in Cardiff, Wales, were able to decipher the names of all 12 months, as well as names identifying several Greek games.
87 comments
It’s a clock
this is the back of a wooden chess timer. each circle and pointer are for the clocks on the other side and that button on the left side is pressed after every turn.
2 Timezone Gold Clock
A Sea Clock….it deals with sailing
this one isnt wooden obviously but its the back of a chess timer im guessing the fact i said wooden wont change my answer from being correct.
thanks!
a Clock i Guess
its an ancient calendar discovered recently
and i think its from ancient greece?
ANCIENT GREEK CLOCK CALLED THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM…REGARDED AS THE WORLD’S FIRST ANALOG COMPUTER, HAD USES BEYOND PREDICTING SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES….WAS ALSO THE BASIS FOR THE CONDUCT OF OLYMPIAD THE ANCIENT FORERUNNER OF THE OLYMPICS…MANY PEOPLE THINK ITS FOR TIMING THE OLYMPICS TODAY
Is it some sort of watch???
It´s called “Antikythera mechanism” – the one shown is a reconstruction. It is a mechanical calculator.
Cheers,
M
It is a safe, it is to lock valuable item in so they are not stolen!
alright i am the first…i would say it is a chess clock…
A Split Ring Key Clock LOL or a Scott Amron clock…What about “New Contest Clock”
the first calendar
I know what it is its a computer….That the Greeks Recently Discovered Computer Invented in 250 BC.
It’s a time keeping device. A chronograph. Looks like the back of a watch. Do I win?! lol.
Antikythera
looks like a big ass double face clock
a machine to sync 2 rotating axels, like for instance the belt timing in an engine.
the machine can be set to different gear ratios
a watch that tells time in different time zones
Antikythera mechanism
Some type of orbital clock for our solar system?
It’s a Antikhytera Celestial Machine
it’s a Zodiac & Solar calendar
What did I win????
-Official Leader of the BoY BRiGadE
looks like the lock of a safe…
It’s a computer created by the greeks in 250 BC.
a clock? a space clock? xD
…and it’s called Antikythera mechanism.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism for more imformation
That’s a Greek computer invented in 250 BC. It looks like it an astrolabe sort of thing.
its either an astronomical clock or an old school barometer
orbital clock that explains when the planets align or barometer which judges moisture in the air. last guess would be thermometer. if all of those are wrong F*** it i say time machine.
Is it a gold gas stove top?
Also, this kind of lookslike the back of a clock.
it looks like a “two timing bastards watch/clock”. kinda looks like rough material so it probably is the inside of it. its purpose is to have two different time zones on one watch.
here’s a link to something very similar
http://bp1.blogger.com/_HZxjZs9ytRU/Rm94j5T9CHI/AAAAAAAAB_w/dokxiVgRUCg/s1600-h/bette+o+dual+dial.jpg
i hope im right
This is an ancient Greek computer!
This is a computer and the name is Calendar
Barometer, it is used to measure atmospheric pressure.
Sorry, to clarify it a little better it is a reconstuction of an ancient Calender computer thus calling it an Antikythera mechanism.
The purpose for this: the top dial displays a four year period and has associated dials showing the Metonic cycle of 235 synodic months, which approximately equals 19 solar years.The lower rear dial plots the cycle of a single synodic month, with a secondary dial showing the lunar year of 12 synodic months.
its a clock or watch
Seems like kinda watch to me…
Is it a chess timer??
A safe
It Measures the solar system its a space mechanism that calculates light years!
oh! i think i saw this in one of my lectures, but is it the Antikythera device? it was considered the “ancient greek computer” and it was used as an calendar/astronomical clock
I think its an astrolabe. its an old artifact used for solving problems relating to time and the position of the sun and stars in the sky.
barometer, used to measure atmospheric pressure
You plot contellations on it. Quite often used to solve puzzles
its a calendar if Im not mistaken, I saw somethin like this a while ago on a tv show
Or maybe a watch.. like a time keeper or something??
It’s a Calander!!!! (i think)
ahhhhh my badd its a computer not a calendar. Its like from 200 BC or somewhere around there they found it in Greece(?) or Italy…one of those two
this is the antikythera mechanism, which was used to calculate astronomical positions.
the Antikythera mechanism, it’s a calendar from 80 bc. show progress of the sun and the moon.
Antikythera Mechanism. Used as an astromical calculator to figure out position of planets.
well a replica ofcourse
Altimeter? Looks quite intricate whatever it is.
Quadriture Amplitude Modulation. You plot contellations on it. Quite often used to solve puzzles.
its called the Antikythera Mechanism and its a clculatot,it was designed to calculate astronomical positions. the image above is a reconstuction. Thanks for the prize with regards, Saks Fritz Ave.
its called the Antikythera Mechanism and its a calculator,it was designed to calculate astronomical positions. the image above is a reconstuction. Thanks for the prize with regards, Saks Fritz Ave.
computer invented in 250BC… discovered by the greeks.
Oh yeah, its called a Antikythera Machine.
Antikythera Mechanism – a complex mechanical “computer” which tracks the cycles of the Solar System.
It’s a computer that was recently discovered by the Greeks…Originally made around 250 BC or so…
Opps…forgot to say more specifically it’s a calendar!
looks like a watch
i think its a clock not too sure what its called.
It’s the Antikythera mechanism.
The first calculator/computer. It was used by ancient astronomers to predict and trace the positions of astronomical bodies.
It was discovered by Jacques Cousteau.
it predicts an eclipse. the Antikythera mechanism by Robert J. Deroski, based on Derek J. de Solla Price mode
a calendar
Antikythera mechanism. It was an ancient Greek calculator that was believed to be used used to calculate astronomical positions. This particular reconstruction is on display in Athens and is crafted by Robert Deroski based on Derek de Solla Price’s model of how the piece works
It’s a computer that was invented in 250 BC
The “Antikythera mechanism” is the oldest known computer. It was discovered in the wreckage of a ship from the first century BC off Antikythera, near Crete, and was used for navigation. Made of bronze, it utilized many principals of mathematics and physics that, until this discovery, were attributed to the last few hundred years of the second millennium. Illustrations: top left: one of several artifacts of the Antikythera mechanism found in the wreckage; top right: schematic of original apparatus after x-ray analysis of the artifact; bottom left and right: two views of a modern reproduction of the navigational device, fabricated by John Gleave of the United Kingdom. The unit stands approximately 12 inches high.
it looks like a dual astrolabe and its purposes include locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars; determining local time given local latitude and vice-versa; surveying; and triangulation.
dang it…. it is a Antikythera mechanism.
It is an Antikythera mechanism. Also known to be a mechanical computer. Its purpose was to locate planetary positions. It was known to prove basic rules of solar, lunar and planetary motion.
how funny. when there is a contest there are so many comments
Its called Antikythera. Better known as The First Computer. They used it for Olypics, its also a Calendar. It also can locate planetary positions.
WOW! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER!
an ancient cheese cutter , you see the blade spins and dice’s the cheese into small bite size squares . lol
bummer…..missed out!
i would’ve said a ‘time machine’…….due to not knowing what it was and to be stupid…
…nonetheless, wow!
“A 2,100-year-old bronze and iron computer that predicted eclipses and other astronomical events also showed the cycle of the Greek Olympics and the related games that led up to it, researchers reported today.”
OK…so who won?? I couldnt figure out what it was & want to know!
Yes finally my city is known on the Blog!, All day everyday reppin NERD and my hometown of Cardiff!, The Biggest Bape Head and Billionaire fein in the city!
((((((((((((((((((((neeerrrrdz))))))))))))))))))))
Lolz!!!…jus kiddin’(i heart all yall)…congrats 2 Lowry
@ Flow…eye no ryght!….LMAO….bahehehehe
….the many comments wow…shows how a contest is actually really fun…should be more contest
I think.
Its a ancient mechanical calculator, also known as the first mechanical computer designed to calculate astronomical positions.