A new study published by researchers at Argentina’s National University of Mar del Plata suggests that the ancient Antikythera mechanism, a 2,000-year-old device believed to be the world’s oldest analog computer, may not have functioned as well as previously thought. The team analyzed the mechanism’s gear train and found two major problems: triangular-shaped teeth and manufacturing errors.
The researchers created a computational program to test how effectively the device might have worked given these errors. Their conclusion is that the mechanism would jam or become desynchronized in 90% of the time, typically before its solar component could complete four months of motion.
Despite this, the team believes it is unlikely that someone would build such a complex device without proper functionality. However, they also question the accuracy of measurements derived from tomographic scans, which have deformed the gear over two millennia due to corrosion.
The study highlights the challenges in analyzing ancient artifacts and the need for advanced measurement techniques to improve our understanding of these devices. If more accurate methods become available, researchers may revisit the Antikythera mechanism’s functionality and solve its proportionality calculations.
Source: https://news.artnet.com/art-world/antikythera-mechanism-function-study-2633024