Alexander Jones (2)

The conglomerate of corroded and broken bronze pieces, eventually known as the Antikythera Mechanism, were salvaged from a shipwreck in the early 1900s. Initially, the fragments were studied without any certainty of what they were. By the end of that century it was confirmed that the metal device with its gears and advanced clockwork mecahnism was some kind of analog computer. It was eventually determined that the mechanism predicted phases of the moon, planetary positions and even eclipses with great precision.

A Portable Cosmos provides a description of the discovery of the Antikythera mechanism, an extensive desciption of the device itself and how it worked, as well as the ancient astronomy behind it. Jones explores the mystery of the Antikythera mechanism in a no nonsense fashion and includes relevant diagrams and photographs where necessary. The author does a thorough job of presenting numerous related topics such as the history of astronomy and astrology, calendrics and the mechanics of eclipses, as well as any ancient records of such a mechanism. Cicero wrote about a planetarium that Archimedes used as a teaching tool, which may have been similar to the Antikythera mechanism. The book is devided into thematic chapters, so if the technical aspects are too detailed, the reader can skip these chapters without missing out too much. This book is scholarly and rather technical, but is none the less absorbing and very interesting.
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The guts of this book is actually less about the famous device itself and rather more about the calendrical systems the machine incorporated and how we know what we know about this artifact. As for why the Antiktyhera Mechanism feels like such an anomaly the author suggests that shifting Greek attitudes towards astronomy, which were always based less on observation than Babylon, might have something to do with this, as it seemed inappropriate to try and represent the presumed perfect functioning of the heavens with a mere construct of wood and metal. There is also the matter that if the real purpose of this device was as an instructional tool the question remains whether it was tied to a particular philosophical school and when that ended so did the demand for more of these devices, preempting a "clockwork" revolution in the classical world.

I would also note that for the reader who wants more on just how the mechanism works they should go to You Tube and use the search term "clickspring" for the treat of a master craftsman having produced an extensive series on making a working copy in brass.… (meer)