Previous researchers have suggested that the ring on the Antikythera mechanism was used to track the ancient Egyptian calendar. In fact, it was used for the purpose of observing the Greek lunar calendar.
The Antikythera mechanism is preserved at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Photo: University of Glasgow.
According to Live Science, new research reveals that the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient shoebox-sized device used to track the movements of the Sun, Moon and planets, follows the Greek lunar calendar.
The Antikythera mechanism was found by a diver off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901. Scientists have estimated the age of this device to be around 2,200 years. It contains bronze gears and is considered the world’s oldest computer.
Part of this mechanism is called the “calendar ring”, which keeps track of the days of the year, with each hole corresponding to a day. Even so, it is no longer in its intact state, so the researchers were unable to determine how many days of the year the device could track.
In 2020, a team led by independent researcher Chris Budiselic used the device’s new X-ray imagery, combined with measurements and mathematical analysis, to determine that the mechanism may not cover an entire calendar year. The estimated time that this mechanism can observe is 354 days and is used primarily to track the lunar calendar.
The Antikythera mechanism has been eroded over the years. Photo: University of Glasgow.
Meanwhile, a team of researchers from the University of Glasgow (UK) used the location of known holes, as well as how the fragments of the mechanism fit together, to infer the number and location of the missing holes.
Finally, they determined that this mechanism could have 354 or 355 holes. This means that it seems to follow the 354-day lunar calendar used in ancient Greece, rather than the 365-day calendar of the Egyptians.
“The team’s results provide new evidence that one of the components of the Antikythera mechanism could most likely be used to track the Greek lunar year,” the researchers from the University of Glasgow wrote.
Diomidis Spinellis, a professor of software engineering at Athens Business University who has been studying the Antikythera mechanism for years, was also impressed by the new work from the University of Glasgow’s team.
“The Antikythera mechanism is a gift of history. Despite severe corrosion and many missing components, the application of increasingly sophisticated technologies and interdisciplinary analysis continues to provide impressive insights into this remarkable artifact,” Spinellis told Live Science.