Data and interpretations on the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism. Notes for the future
(2017) In Stoa of Sciences-Scientific Review 1(B). p.78-103- Abstract
- For more than a century the research on the Antikythera Mechanism engaged scientists from a widerange of scientific disciplines searching for clues, in order to solve the mystery that this unique ar-chaeological find poses. The results so far have been spectacular enough to re-write the History ofTechnology providing new aspects on the degree of technological sophistication and scientific de-velopment in the Hellenistic world. Nowadays, a new scientific research program hopes to shednew light on the study of the wreck with archaeologists retuning to the underwater site ready toconduct excavation using modern technology and new scientific methodological approaches. In or-der for this new endeavour to be scientifically solid, all the... (More)
- For more than a century the research on the Antikythera Mechanism engaged scientists from a widerange of scientific disciplines searching for clues, in order to solve the mystery that this unique ar-chaeological find poses. The results so far have been spectacular enough to re-write the History ofTechnology providing new aspects on the degree of technological sophistication and scientific de-velopment in the Hellenistic world. Nowadays, a new scientific research program hopes to shednew light on the study of the wreck with archaeologists retuning to the underwater site ready toconduct excavation using modern technology and new scientific methodological approaches. In or-der for this new endeavour to be scientifically solid, all the available data deriving from all previousexpeditions, as well as the research of the finds in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens,were gathered and thoroughly studied. In this paper a collection of the archaeological data concern-ing the Mechanism is presented side by side with a reviewed presentation of the relevant bibliog-raphy aiming to unwind the net of information created by scholars from the 1900s to present dayresearch publications. There are no direct archaeological sources (e.g. excavation journal, officialarchaeological report) describing the early 20th century expeditions, during which the Mechanismwas found, rather than a collection of newspaper articles and the published memoires of individualswho took part in the enterprise. However, there are scientific postulations regarding the Mechanismquite early after the find was published in archaeological journals amongst other finds of the wreckin 1902-3. In the 1950s a new chapter in the study of the Mechanism opened when prof. Derek deSolla Price focused his attention on the exquisite find. His fundamental work “Gears from theGreeks” was published in 1974 and with it the story of Antikythera Mechanism reached scholars allaround the world. Since then, plenty scientific endeavors have been publishing data or postulatingtheories about the origins and the function of the Mechanism. Each one of them has been reproduc-ing the historical and archaeological data from previous works, either without further research orwith a certain amount of uncertainty founded on the indirect sources of the historical accounts, thuscreating a cloud of insecurity concerning the validity of the facts. As mentioned above, this paperpresents all this information in an effort to clarify the archaeological context on the discovery of theAntikythera Mechanism. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/361019e9-582f-4648-8aae-91ff43a05442
- author
- Tourtas, Alexandros ; Theodoulou, Theotokis ; Kourkoumelis, Dimitris ; Foley, Brendan LU and Seiradakis, Ioannis Hugh
- publishing date
- 2017
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Antikythera Mechanism, Maritime archaeology
- host publication
- The Antikythera Mechanism
- series title
- Stoa of Sciences-Scientific Review
- editor
- Seiradakis, Ioannis
- volume
- 1
- issue
- B
- pages
- 26 pages
- publisher
- ACADEMY OF INSTITUTIONS AND CULTURES: ARISTOTLE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THESSALONIK
- ISSN
- 2241-9993
- ISBN
- 978-618-83020-0-6
- project
- Return to the Antikythera Shipwreck
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Bilingual host publication in English and Greek. For the version of this chapter in Greek, see related Research output.
- id
- 361019e9-582f-4648-8aae-91ff43a05442
- alternative location
- http://academy.eng.auth.gr/Antikythera-Digital-Book-Files/The%20Antikythera%20Mechanism_S.pdf#page=78
- date added to LUP
- 2023-04-20 09:35:28
- date last changed
- 2023-05-11 09:34:51
@inbook{361019e9-582f-4648-8aae-91ff43a05442,
abstract = {{For more than a century the research on the Antikythera Mechanism engaged scientists from a widerange of scientific disciplines searching for clues, in order to solve the mystery that this unique ar-chaeological find poses. The results so far have been spectacular enough to re-write the History ofTechnology providing new aspects on the degree of technological sophistication and scientific de-velopment in the Hellenistic world. Nowadays, a new scientific research program hopes to shednew light on the study of the wreck with archaeologists retuning to the underwater site ready toconduct excavation using modern technology and new scientific methodological approaches. In or-der for this new endeavour to be scientifically solid, all the available data deriving from all previousexpeditions, as well as the research of the finds in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens,were gathered and thoroughly studied. In this paper a collection of the archaeological data concern-ing the Mechanism is presented side by side with a reviewed presentation of the relevant bibliog-raphy aiming to unwind the net of information created by scholars from the 1900s to present dayresearch publications. There are no direct archaeological sources (e.g. excavation journal, officialarchaeological report) describing the early 20th century expeditions, during which the Mechanismwas found, rather than a collection of newspaper articles and the published memoires of individualswho took part in the enterprise. However, there are scientific postulations regarding the Mechanismquite early after the find was published in archaeological journals amongst other finds of the wreckin 1902-3. In the 1950s a new chapter in the study of the Mechanism opened when prof. Derek deSolla Price focused his attention on the exquisite find. His fundamental work “Gears from theGreeks” was published in 1974 and with it the story of Antikythera Mechanism reached scholars allaround the world. Since then, plenty scientific endeavors have been publishing data or postulatingtheories about the origins and the function of the Mechanism. Each one of them has been reproduc-ing the historical and archaeological data from previous works, either without further research orwith a certain amount of uncertainty founded on the indirect sources of the historical accounts, thuscreating a cloud of insecurity concerning the validity of the facts. As mentioned above, this paperpresents all this information in an effort to clarify the archaeological context on the discovery of theAntikythera Mechanism.}},
author = {{Tourtas, Alexandros and Theodoulou, Theotokis and Kourkoumelis, Dimitris and Foley, Brendan and Seiradakis, Ioannis Hugh}},
booktitle = {{The Antikythera Mechanism}},
editor = {{Seiradakis, Ioannis}},
isbn = {{978-618-83020-0-6}},
issn = {{2241-9993}},
keywords = {{Antikythera Mechanism; Maritime archaeology}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{B}},
pages = {{78--103}},
publisher = {{ACADEMY OF INSTITUTIONS AND CULTURES: ARISTOTLE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THESSALONIK}},
series = {{Stoa of Sciences-Scientific Review}},
title = {{Data and interpretations on the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism. Notes for the future}},
url = {{http://academy.eng.auth.gr/Antikythera-Digital-Book-Files/The%20Antikythera%20Mechanism_S.pdf#page=78}},
volume = {{1}},
year = {{2017}},
}