Prompt Cast
The Antikythera Mechanism: An Ancient Astronomical Calculator
TLDR The Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient analog computer discovered in a Roman era shipwreck off the coast of Antikythera, was able to track celestial bodies and calculate eclipses. Despite its advanced technology, there is no evidence of similar devices from this time period, leaving historians wondering why the Greeks or anyone else didn't further develop this technology.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
A crew of sponge divers discovered an ancient shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera in 1900, which contained various artifacts including a corroded metal object that was later identified as the Antikythera mechanism.
02:17
The wreck of a Roman era ship off the coast of Antikythera contained various artifacts, including statues, glasswork, pottery, coins, and a lump of corroded metal that was later discovered to have a metal gear embedded in it.
03:56
In 1951, physicist Derek DiSolla Price concluded that the Antikythera Mechanism was an ancient analog computer, and in 1971, further tests revealed a series of masterfully created bronze gears that didn't align with what was known about ancient Greek technology.
05:40
The Antikythera Mechanism was an astronomical calculator that could track the location of celestial bodies, phases of the moon, and calculate cycles for eclipses, operated by a crank.
07:32
The big question surrounding the Antikythera Mechanism is why there is no evidence of similar devices from this time period and why the ancient Greeks or anyone else didn't further develop this technology.
09:07
The Antikythera Mechanism represents a level of achievement that our technology did not reach until the 18th century, and if the Greeks had matched their ingenuity with insight, the Industrial Revolution might have begun 1,000 years before Columbus.
10:54
The host corrects two errors he made in previous episodes, one involving Bill Buckner and the other involving the person on top of Philadelphia City Hall.
