The Antikythera mechanism and the mechanical universe

Abstract

How did our view of the Universe develop? By the mid-eighteenth century, a world view had developed of a system constrained by physical laws. These laws, if not entirely understood, showed regularity and could be handled mathematically to provide both explanation and prediction of celestial phenomena. Most of us have at least some hazy idea of the fundamental shift that came through the work of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton. The idea of a ‘Mechanical Universe’ running rather like a clock tends to be associated with these sixteenth- and seventeenth-century pioneers. It remains a useful – and perhaps comforting – analogy. Yet, recent investigations based around the Antikythera Mechanism, an artefact from ancient Greece, reinforce a view that the ‘Mechanical’ conception has been around for a much longer time – indeed certainly as far back as the third century BC. The extent of mechanical design expertise existing around 100 BC as witnessed by the Antikythera Mechanism comes as a great surprise to most people. It is certainly a very ingenious device, often referred to as ‘The World’s First Computer’ although it is really a sophisticated mechanical astronomical calculator with its functions pre-determined rather than programmable. In this review, the structure and functions of the Antikythera Mechanism are described. The astronomy, cosmology and technology inherent in the machine fit surprisingly well into the context of its contemporary Classical world. A strong claim will be made for the influence of such mechanisms on the development of astronomical and philosophical views, based on literary reference. There is evidence that the technology persisted until its spectacular and rather sudden re-appearance in Western Europe around 1300 AD. From then on it is not hard to chart a path through the astronomical clocks of the sixteenth century to Kepler’s aim (expressed in a 1605 letter) to ‘show that the heavenly machine is not a kind of divine, live being, but a kind of clockwork …’, and on to the widespread development of popular visualisation of the heliocentric Solar System in the orreries of the eighteenth century.

Keywords:

• History of Science
• history of technology
• history of astronomy
• history of cosmology
• mechanistic philosophy

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

I am very grateful for discussion and support from my colleagues in the AMRP, in particular Lina Anastasiou, Yanis Bitsakis, Tony Freeth, Alexander Jones, Xenophon Moussas, John Seiradakis, Agamemnon Tselikas and Mary Zafeiropoulou. The AMRP investigations would not have been possible without the expertise and generosity of Roger Hadland, Andrew Ramsey and others at X-Tek, and Tom Malzbender formerly of Hewlett-Packard. Essential grants came from the Leverhulme and A.G. Leventis Foundations. For bringing to my attention literature sources included in Table 1, and for discussions, translations, data and encouragement I thank Sylvia Berryman, Niels Bos, Paul Cartledge, James Evans, Richard Evans, Paul Keyser, Daryn Lehoux, A. P. D. Mourelatos, Stephanie Pambakian, Giovanni Pastore, Jurgen Renn, Tracey Rihll, Liba Taub, Theodosios Tassios, Frank Weiden, Andrew Wilson, Michael Wright and Rien van de Weygaert. My debt to Price and King’s classic texts is obvious. For access to the geared artefacts of Section 7, I thank the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, and the Science Museum, London. The goodwill and cooperation of the Directors and staff of the National Archaeological Museum, Athens is greatly appreciated.