# The Antikythera Mechanism Gives Up A Few More Secrets **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 19, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302 "2006-06-19T16:09:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/1 "2006-06-19T16:09:25Z")
[Thanks to some custom built gear.](http://www.houstonist.com/archives/2006/06/14/antikythera_mec.php) > [@](#): > > The results have been nothing short of amazing. An additional 1,000 characters embedded on the Antikythera Mechanism have been uncovered, thus doubling the number of known characters. So far, research seems to reinforce the generally accepted view that this ancient analog computer was astronomical in purpose, describing the motion of the Sun, moon, and the 5 known planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. I wonder what the new characters are? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/2 "2006-06-19T16:37:35Z")
Hmmmph. Stupid mechanism. What does it think it is, anyways? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/3 "2006-06-19T17:32:48Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Hmmmph. Stupid mechanism. What does it think it is, anyways? :mad: The opposite of you, perrhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/4 "2006-06-19T17:36:33Z")
Gee. I wish _I_ had an arch-enemy… ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/5 "2006-06-19T17:50:13Z")
Wake me up when they find out it does something cool, like play Tekken. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/6 "2006-06-20T01:25:09Z")
I spent a good chunk of the evening fiddling with a clockwork mechanism, making a few parts and sorting gear ratios out. That a thing like that could be built over 2 millenia ago is simply amazing, I mean, what kind of tools did they use? who was the genius behind this? was it a loner or there was a society that could churn out mechanisms like this on a regular basis?; and if there was, what happened to it? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/7 "2006-06-20T01:49:02Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > I spent a good chunk of the evening fiddling with a clockwork mechanism, making a few parts and sorting gear ratios out. That a thing like that could be built over 2 millenia ago is simply amazing, I mean, what kind of tools did they use? who was the genius behind this? was it a loner or there was a society that could churn out mechanisms like this on a regular basis?; and if there was, what happened to it? Because he reportedly worked making geared planetariums, Archimedes was the most likely genius behind machines like the Antikyteria Machine. [http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Sphere/SphereIntro.html](http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Sphere/SphereIntro.html) And yes, he was a Geek, I mean, Greek loner: [http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Sphere/SphereIntro.html](http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Sphere/SphereIntro.html) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/8 "2006-06-20T02:45:50Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Hmmmph. Stupid mechanism. What does it think it is, anyways? :mad: What would happen if you touched it? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/9 "2006-06-20T03:16:41Z")
The most amazing thing about that mechanism is that it uses at least one differential, a mechanism that previously was thought to have been invented over 1500 years later. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/10 "2006-06-20T03:18:25Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Hmmmph. Stupid mechanism. What does it think it is, anyways? :mad: Dammit! I wanted to be the first to make that joke. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/11 "2006-06-20T05:23:25Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Because he reportedly worked making geared planetariums, Archimedes was the most likely genius behind machines like the Antikyteria Machine. > > [Spheres and Planetaria (Introduction)](http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Sphere/SphereIntro.html) > And yes, he was a Geek, I mean, Greek loner: > [Spheres and Planetaria (Introduction)](http://www.math.nyu.edu/~crorres/Archimedes/Sphere/SphereIntro.html) Then there´s the posibility that this is actual archimedean junk? For all we know maybe the guy himself built it. It´s a truly fascinating artifact. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/12 "2006-06-20T05:38:46Z")
> [@Ale](#): > > Then there´s the posibility that this is actual archimedean junk? For all we know maybe the guy himself built it. > It´s a truly fascinating artifact. I’m afraid not. The device is dated to ~80BC, with as I understand it a high degree of confidence. Archimedes had been dead for over a century. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/13 "2006-06-20T05:56:19Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > I wonder what the new characters are? “Thinks, Speaks, Acts, and Does Everything but Live. All infringements will be promptly Prosecuted according to Law.”? ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/14 "2006-06-20T15:12:31Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > “Thinks, Speaks, Acts, and Does Everything but Live. All infringements will be promptly Prosecuted according to Law.”? “Void where prohibited, some assembly required, batteries not included. Not valid in Crete or Minoa.” ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/15 "2006-06-20T21:45:38Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > I wonder what the new characters are? “Made In China” ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/16 "2006-06-20T22:42:40Z")
I am a bit skeptical about this machine-how would an ancient Greek smith have made accurate gears without machine tools? The gears might have been hammered brass-how would a smith have been able to make sheets of brass of uniform thickness? And how would he have cut gear teeth accurately? As far as I know, the ancient Greeks didn’t have metal cutting lathes. Finally, how would a frame (containing the gear pinions) be made? To make something this accurate, you would need a lot of tools that didn’t exist back then. So whoever this genius was, he had access to some modern tools! ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2006, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/17 "2006-06-20T22:55:17Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I am a bit skeptical about this machine-how would an ancient Greek smith have made accurate gears without machine tools? The gears might have been hammered brass-how would a smith have been able to make sheets of brass of uniform thickness? And how would he have cut gear teeth accurately? As far as I know, the ancient Greeks didn’t have metal cutting lathes. Finally, how would a frame (containing the gear pinions) be made? To make something this accurate, you would need a lot of tools that didn’t exist back then. So whoever this genius was, he had access to some modern tools! A good metalsmith can work wonders with simple hand tools. The Hitler Channel had a program on the Antikythera mechanism where an expert built a replica of it using only the kind of hand tools available to Greeks at the time. The next time you see a Rolls (at least a pre-2000 year model), take a look at the body panels on the car. **All** of them are handhammered, no massive presses used at all. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/18 "2006-06-21T00:33:06Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I am a bit skeptical about this machine-how would an ancient Greek smith have made accurate gears without machine tools? The gears might have been hammered brass-how would a smith have been able to make sheets of brass of uniform thickness? And how would he have cut gear teeth accurately? As far as I know, the ancient Greeks didn’t have metal cutting lathes. Finally, how would a frame (containing the gear pinions) be made? To make something this accurate, you would need a lot of tools that didn’t exist back then. So whoever this genius was, he had access to some modern tools! Without meaning any disrespect here, the fact that how something was done isn’t known does not constitute proof that it couldn’t have been done. I don’t know how they did it, either; but they seem to have done so anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/19 "2006-06-21T01:25:36Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > The Hitler Channel. :eek: What were they thinking when they named that network. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302/20 "2006-06-21T01:58:22Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I am a bit skeptical about this machine-how would an ancient Greek smith have made accurate gears without machine tools? The gears might have been hammered brass-how would a smith have been able to make sheets of brass of uniform thickness? And how would he have cut gear teeth accurately? As far as I know, the ancient Greeks didn’t have metal cutting lathes. Finally, how would a frame (containing the gear pinions) be made? To make something this accurate, you would need a lot of tools that didn’t exist back then. So whoever this genius was, he had access to some modern tools! They made clocks and watches long before they had modern equipment. I’ve heard that an English monk made one of the first clocks arond 1350, but I’m not certain of the exact date. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-antikythera-mechanism-gives-up-a-few-more-secrets/361302.md?page=2)