A shoebox-sized simulator of the ancient Cosmos: The Antikythera Mechanism from Greek antiquity

In 1901, the heavily corroded remains of a strange object were found in an ancient shipwreck. The details of its inner workings remained enigmatic. X-ray tomography obtained a century later and subsequent masterly reverse engineering led to a comprehensive reconstruction of its functionality. The results reveal that the mechanism incorporated all Babylonian and Greek astronomical knowledge of its time with an amazing precision. It is the first time machine and analog computer. Its mechanical realization is the work of a genius. The congenial combination of scientific and technical brilliance makes the Antikythera mechanism the most remarkable scientific-technical project of all times. The talk will give an overview of the astonishing diversity of functions and how it was finally possible to decipher them.