Customer Reviews

Gears from the Greeks: The Antikythera Mechanism, a Calendar Computer from Ca 80 B.c. (Transactions of the American Philosophical Society) (Transactions of the American Philosophical Society)

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If you want to study the Antikythera Mechanism, this is where to start. It is helpful if you have a background in mechanics and in astronomy. The work is 70 pages, and should be read methodically. There are a few irregularities here and there, but they do not detract from the total work. You will then appreciate this exceptional and perceptive work. To get you started: General background: pgs. 51-62 (esp. 56-60); Description of the device: pg. 13, col II; Photos: mostly pgs. 23-26; Drawing of case: pg. 17; Gearing diagrams: flat: pgs. 37-40; side: pg. 43. This side drawing by Beverly Pope is the "holy grail," normally seen in descriptions. To further you on your quest, join the gears with the question marks beside them...

Well worth tracking down a copy. A lively read, contains many diagrams and much data.

This is scientific writing at its best: methodical, readable, captivating. Price worked for more than 10 years on untangling the remarkable mystery of the Antikythera mechanism. Through painstaking research and clever interpretation of the findings he was the first to create a plausible model for the device's operation. Modern research (see the Nature 2006 and 2008 articles by members of the Antikythera Research Project) has revised many of his findings. In particular, the differential gear arrangement that Price proposed has been changed into a setup that models the Lunar orbit according to Hipparchos. Nevertheless, this booklet should be the starting point for anyone interested in the truly amazing Antikythera mechanism.

This book is a start of information to making my own replica. I think that I need to find a link to Michael Wright's replica of the Antikythera Mechanism too.