Scientists recreate sunken Antikythera mechanism, the oldest mechanical computer in humanity

Mexican scientists and teachers from the University of Sonora in northwestern Mexico have successfully recreated the Antikythera mechanism, the oldest mechanical computer in humanity. The replica, exhibited at the University of Sonora, measures more than three meters and is open to the public. 

Professor Ezequiel Rodríguez Jauregui explained that scientists from Sonora, Mexico, and Greece participated in this project. "It was sunken and destroyed. With computerized tomography studies, a large part of the mechanism was restored. Now we know that it has predictions of eclipses and Olympic games, that it was a planetarium. Additionally, we managed to read a large part of the manual of the machine for its operation," he said, according to El Universal. These scientists used technologies such as X-rays and tomography to see the innards of the mechanism and recreate them.

Dr. Julio Saucedo Morales explained the differences between the Antikythera mechanism and the replica made in Mexico, and the original that is in the Archaeological Museum of Athens. He detailed that of the 82 fragments that make up the vestige, the largest does not exceed the size of the palm of a hand, while the largest gears are one or two centimeters. "Here the gears are enormous. When constructing this replica in Mexico, we took all that information regarding the number of gears, their teeth, diameters, and they were dimensioned to be up to 10 times larger, 100 times larger in volume and mass," Dr. Saucedo Morales affirmed, as reported by El Universal. Professor Rodríguez Jauregui pointed out that the University of Sonora, along with Relojes Olvera from Zacatlán de las Manzanas in Puebla and the University of Greece, achieved the recreation of the mechanism. "But apart from that, we achieved the scaling; this is the only large-scale and functional one," he warned.

The Antikythera mechanism, discovered in 1901 by sponge divers, pioneers of underwater archaeology, at the bottom of the sea near the Greek island of Antikythera, remained underwater for more than 2,000 years. The original mechanism was found in ruins, broken into pieces, and surrounded by algae and corals from the seabed. According to estimates, the Antikythera mechanism was created about 2,200 years ago, in the 2nd century B.C. "It is the universe of the ancient world seen from a new perspective; we are talking about 150 to 100 years before Christ, with the Earth at the center and the planets revolving around it. The Moon is also present, and there we can see that composition of what the vision of the ancient universe was," said Raúl Pérez Enríquez, professor and researcher at the University of Sonora, as reported by El Universal.

The Antikythera mechanism allows the prediction of eclipses, calculation of astronomical positions, and precise recording of the days of the year. It continues to fascinate researchers who study it to uncover all its secrets. The original Antikythera Mechanism has a size comparable to a shoebox, approximately 34 centimeters wide, 18 centimeters deep, and 9 centimeters high. The mechanism exhibited in the Museum of Athens continues to arouse interest among scientists.

A new study from the University of Glasgow determined, with Bayesian analysis techniques, that the mechanism had between 354 and 355 holes. These holes correspond to the Greek lunar calendar instead of the 365-day solar calendar of the ancient Egyptians, which until now researchers believed it followed.

Raúl Pérez Enríquez explained that the Monumental Antikythera Mechanism has the purpose of training new physicists and scientists and supporting research processes. In reconstructing the mechanism, the scientists were able to complete some parts that the ancients left unfinished. These efforts contribute to a deeper understanding of ancient technologies and their applications in astronomy and timekeeping.

Sources: El Universal, Página/12, El Cronista, RPP Noticias

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq