Nicknamed the “Big Fat
Greek Expedition,”
archeologists this week
have embarked on a
new mission to explore
an ancient wreckage
where one of the most
complicated scientific
antiques in existence
was discovered over
100 years ago in the
Aegean Sea.
The antikythera
mechanism, which was
found inside a Roman
shipwreck near the
Greek island of
Antikythera, is an
ancient computer
thought to be at least
2,000 years old. It’s
believed that this
complex clock-like
device was used by
ancient Greeks to
calculate the movement
of the stars and
planets. The
mechanism was
composed of at least
30 different bronze
gears and the whole
thing was housed in a
wooden frame that
was decorated with at
least 2,000 characters.
The history of this
device is shrouded in
mystery. It is unclear
how this intricate
device ended up in the
hands of Romans, but
some believe the ill-
fated ship was
transferring a woman
of importance to be
married in Rome. The
mechanism, among
other impressive riches
on board, may have
been a wedding gift
from her family. Thanks
to carbon dating, we
know that this booty-
laden ship sank around
60 B.C.
Eager to find out more
about this enigmatic
antique, researchers are
returning to the
wreckage with the aid
of a sophisticated diving
suit that is taking them
deeper than they’ve
ever been before. The $
1.3 million exosuit will
allow the team to dive
to depths of 150
meters (492 feet) and
carefully explore the
ship for several hours.
But before they send
divers down, the team
will first use a robot to
map the wreck and the
seafloor around it. This
will hopefully also
confirm the presence of
a second ship that
researchers suspect lies
nearby.
Since archeologists have
previously only been
able to operate at a
depth of 60 meters, the
team is confident that
their month-long
expedition will yield
many other artefacts.
So far, 36 marble
statues, several bronze
statues, gold jewelry
and human remains
have been recovered
from the wreck. “There
are dozens of items
left, this was a ship
bearing immense riches
from Asia Minor,”
Dimitris Kourkoumelis,
an archeologist on the
team, told AFP. But to
the researchers, the
real treasure is the
missing pieces of the
mechanism.
While the researchers
have no idea what they
may happen upon in the
wreckage, any extra
information that can
help explain the device’s
extraordinary first
century B.C. origins
would be exciting to say
the least.
Source; http://www.iflscience.com/technology/new-shipwreck-expedition-may-unlock-secrets-worlds-oldest-computer