The Phaistos Disc and Antikythera Mechanism: The History of the Most Mysterious Artifacts from Ancient Greece

\*Includes pictures \*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading \*Includes a table of contents \*Includes pictures Nearly 2,000 years before Homer wrote his epic poems, the Minoan civilization was centered on the island of Crete, a location that required the Minoans to be a regional sea power. And indeed they were, stretching across the Aegean Sea from about 2700-1500 BCE, with trade routes extending all the way to Egypt. The Minoans may have been the first link in the “European chain”, leading to the Ancient Greeks and beyond, but questions persist over the origins of the civilization, the end of the civilization, and substantial parts of their history, including their religion and buildings. All of this is largely because their written language, known today as “Linear A,” remains undeciphered, and among the more enigmatic finds of this truly enigmatic culture was a small disk-shaped object excavated among the ruins of the Minoan city of Phaistos in 1908. The disc, which has since become known simply as the “Phaistos Disc,” contains a number of pictographic symbols that were unrecognized by the scholars who first laid eyes on the object and remain unknown in the more than 100 years since. The contents of the Phaistos Disc, like the Minoan language of Linear A, remain unclear, but that is not for lack of trying by a plethora of scholars, some more credible than others. Many different theories have been advanced, but there is still no consensus concerning its origins, or even if it was intended to be writing. Discovering ancient shipwrecks hasn’t been a novelty for thousands of years, but when artifacts were salvaged from a Roman shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1900, the discovery of one set off one of the great mysteries of antiquity. When sponge divers investigated the shipwreck, they found the kind of items often associated with such discoveries, including marble statues, pottery, jewelry, and coins, but they also discovered a strange object, the likes of which nobody had ever seen before. Initially assumed to be pieces of rock, it turned out that the item, soon to be dubbed the Antikythera mechanism, consisted of dozens of pieces, many of which had gears. In fact, while scholars quickly deduced that it had an astronomical purpose, many believed the mechanism was too advanced to actually date back to antiquity. As it turned out, of course, the Antikythera mechanism did date back to the 1st or 2nd century BCE, and as scholars began to more fully comprehend its abilities, fascination over the device grew. In conjunction with the determination that the mechanism was an analog computer of sorts that could predict astronomical phenomena like the positions of stars and eclipses, conjecture over the origins of the device led to theories over what the Romans were going to do with it, and whether the device was created by the Greek genius Archimedes himself. To this day, debate continues over whether there were predecessors to the model, where the astronomical observations that went into creating the model were taken, and whether the ultimate origins of the device might even be Babylonian.

"IT'S CHOCKABLOCK WITH CURIOUS LORE....[James and Thorpe] have amassed scores of persuasive testimonials of primeval ingenuity."
—The Boston Globe We in the twentieth century tend to assume that our era has a monopoly on the inventions of clever machines, labor-saving devices, feats of engineering, and advanced technology. But as the authors of this fascinating and eye-opening book reveal, some of humankind's most important and most amazing inventions actually date back thousands of years.
Historian Peter James and archaeologist Nick Thorpe have pooled their expertise in amassing this compendium of human ingenuity through the ages. Together they conclusively prove that our ancestors, however long ago they lived and whatever part of the globe they occupied, were brilliant problem-solvers. Written with the pure joy of discovery, Ancient Inventions reveals that:
* Medieval Baghdad had an efficient postal service, banks, and a paper mill.
* Rudimentary calendars were being used in France as early as 13,000 B.C.
* Apartment condominiums rose in deserts of the American Southwest a thousand years ago.
* The ancient Greeks used an early form of computer.
* Plastic surgery was being performed in India by the first century B.C.
* The Egyptians knew about effective contraceptives.
* Flamethrowers were used in battles waged in tenth-century China.
Brimming with odd facts and entertaining curiosities, written with zest and humor, comprehensive and fun to read, Ancient Inventions is a wonderful celebration of the endless inventiveness of the human mind.
"This presentation of the discoveries and innovations of the ancients will fascinate."
—Booklist
"Thoroughly researched...It is doubtful that anyone could examine [this book] without coming away enlightened in one of its broadly ranging areas."
—Library Journal AN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE QUALITY PAPERBACK BOOK CLUB AND THE NATURAL SCIENCE BOOK CLUB

Library Journal

You leave your seventh-floor apartment, curse the congested traffic that delays you, and stop at a fast-food restaurant on your way to have cataract surgery. You live in Rome in A.D. 25. Ancient Inventions entertainingly demonstrates that there is indeed little new under the sun. The book is divided by the authors (Centuries of Darkness, LJ 3/15/93) into convenient, browsable sections such as "Sex Life," "Military Technology," and "Communications," each one presenting fascinating evidence of the extent to which human knowledge can be extinguished. Cute rather than hilarious in its humor, Ancient Inventions is thoroughly researched and profusely illustrated; it is doubtful that anyone could examine it without coming away enlightened in one of its broadly ranging areas. This work will be used as much for its historical information and accounts of ancient daily life as it will be for recreational reading. Historical First Patents is an overview of over 80 granted U.S. patent applications, with emphasis on the familiar: Howe, Whitney, Bell, and others whose names are closely associated with a specific device. Each entry consists of the historical developments leading to the invention, a biographical description of the inventor, and the story of the creation of the invention itself. A patent drawing accompanies most entries, although some contain a reproduction of the first page of the published patent in print so small as to be useless. The writing is rather stilted (Lincoln's entry mentions three times in the first three paragraphs that he was the only president to receive a patent), and some obvious errors have not been caught. Some of the patents included here are for items discussed in Ancient Inventions and known thousands of years earlier, such as artificial limbs, cylinder locks, and anesthesia. Of the two books, Ancient Inventions contains information more difficult to locate elsewhere and will serve the broadest audience. Both books are appropriate for school, academic, and public libraries.-James Moffet, Baldwin P.L., Birmingham, Mich.

Since the creation of the first modern robots in the 1950s, robotics has developed rapidly and in diverse directions; the term robot (from the Czech word for drudgery) now applies to a spectrum of creations, from mechanical limbs bolted to factory floors to computer-driven bipeds with human-like capabilities. But the urge to create "mechanical men" to perform mundane, repetitive, and even complex human tasks is nearly as old as civilization itself. The ancient Greeks built automata, as did the Egyptians and the Japanese. Leonardo da Vinci designed mechanical men, and entertainment robots were all the rage in eighteenth-century Europe. . Robot Evolution is unique in robotics literature, at once a comprehensive pictorial history of robots and a technical guide to robot designs, devices, and systems. Author and robot expert Mark E. Rosheim reviews and describes the gamut of robot mechanisms, from ancient to state-of-the-art, from subcomponents such as joints, grippers, and actuators to completely integrated systems equipped with artificial intelligence, sensors, and autonomous mobility. Rosheim chronicles the development and increasing complexity of these systems, using the kinesiology of human body parts as a framework for evaluating the kinematics of robotic components and explaining how these components are used to emulate human motion. Particular emphasis is placed on the most advanced current devices and promising experimental designs. Supplemented with hundreds of photographs, drawings, and illustrated tables, Robot Evolution is written in a clear, forthright style and organized to provide quick and easy access to information. Separate chapters are devoted to robot arms, wrists, hands, and legs, and each chapter contains examples of several different design approaches to the same problem or component. The advantages and disadvantages of each design are discussed in detail along with preferred applications and specific functions of each device. An annotated bibliography assists those interested in further reading, and a comprehensive glossary is also provided. . This indispensable quick reference will be of great help to machine design and robotics engineers, controls engineers, researchers in biomechanics, and kinesiologists who need concise and detailed answers to problems in robot design and function. For the technically minded layman, Robot Evolution offers both a fascinating tour of the robotic universe and an uncommonly accessible introduction to the design, function, and operation of robots and their components.

lavishly Illustrated, Comprehensive, Detailed, And Reader-friendly—this Is The Ultimate Robot Book! From Newly Discovered Designs Of Leonardo Da Vinci To The Pioneering Nineteenth-century Work Of Nikola Tesla, And On To Burgeoning Anthropomorphic Robots, Anthrobots, That Are Dextrous, Communicative, And Autonomous, Robot Evolution Covers The Length And Ever-widening Breadth Of This New Robotics Field. Acknowledged Robotics Expert Mark Rosheim Offers At Once A Fascinating Look At More Than 2,000 Years Of Robot History, As Well As A Technical Guide To Their Development, Design, And Component Parts. This Book Explores The Evolution And Increasing Complexity Of Robot Designs And Points Out The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Various Design Approaches For Robot Arms, Hands, Wrists, And Legs. By Analyzing The Kinematics Of Robot Components In Comparison To Human Limbs, Robot Evolution Also Introduces A Powerful New Design Tool To Measure And Evaluate Past, Present, And New Designs. This Book Features:
* Robot Survey From Ancient Greece To The Nineteenth Century
* Analysis Of Modern Robots From 1950 To The Present
* Comparative Anatomy Of Human And Robot Joints
* Chapter-by-chapter Analysis Of Robot Arms, Wrists, Hands, And Legs
* Evolution Of Sensors And Artificial Intelligence
* Development Of Mechanical Men From Man-amplifiers To Amazing Anthropomorphic Robots—anthrobots!

booknews

rosheim, Who Designs Robots For Nasa, Presents A Comprehensive Pictorial (b&w) History Of Robots And A Technical Guide To Robot Designs, Devices, And Systems Of The Present And Future. He Describes And Reviews The Spectrum Of Robot Mechanisms, From Ancient To State- Of-the-art, From Subcomponents To Integrated Systems Equipped With Artificial Intelligence, Sensors, And Autonomous Mobility. He Also Evaluates The Kinematics Of Robotic Components By Comparing Them To The Kinesiology Of The Human Body, Pointing Out The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Various Design Approaches. Annotation C. Book News, Inc., Portland, Or (booknews.com)

"IT'S CHOCKABLOCK WITH CURIOUS LORE....[James and Thorpe] have amassed scores of persuasive testimonials of primeval ingenuity." --The Boston Globe We in the twentieth century tend to assume that our era has a monopoly on the inventions of clever machines, labor-saving devices, feats of engineering, and advanced technology. But as the authors of this fascinating and eye-opening book reveal, some of humankind's most important and most amazing inventions actually date back thousands of years. Historian Peter James and archaeologist Nick Thorpe have pooled their expertise in amassing this compendium of human ingenuity through the ages. Together they conclusively prove that our ancestors, however long ago they lived and whatever part of the globe they occupied, were brilliant problem-solvers. Written with the pure joy of discovery, Ancient Inventions reveals * Medieval Baghdad had an efficient postal service, banks, and a paper mill. * Rudimentary calendars were being used in France as early as 13,000 B.C. * Apartment condominiums rose in deserts of the American Southwest a thousand years ago. * The ancient Greeks used an early form of computer. * Plastic surgery was being performed in India by the first century B.C. * The Egyptians knew about effective contraceptives. * Flamethrowers were used in battles waged in tenth-century China. Brimming with odd facts and entertaining curiosities, written with zest and humor, comprehensive and fun to read, Ancient Inventions is a wonderful celebration of the endless inventiveness of the human mind. "This presentation of the discoveries and innovations of the ancients will fascinate." --Booklist "Thoroughly researched...It is doubtful that anyone could examine [this book] without coming away enlightened in one of its broadly ranging areas." --Library Journal AN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE QUALITY PAPERBACK BOOK CLUB AND THE NATURAL SCIENCE BOOK CLUB In 1900 A Group Of Sponge Divers Blown Off Course In The Mediterranean Discovered An Ancient Greek Shipwreck Dating From Around 70 Bc. Lying Unnoticed For Months Amongst Their Hard-won Haul Was What Appeared To Be A Formless Lump Of Corroded Rock, Which Turned Out To Be The Most Stunning Scientific Artefact We Have From Antiquity. For More Than A Century This 'antikythera Mechanism' Puzzled Academics, But Now, More Than 2000 Years After The Device Was Lost At Sea, Scientists Have Pieced Together Its Intricate Workings. Unmatched In Complexity For 1000 Years, It Was Able To Predict Eclipses And Track The Paths Of The Sun And The Moon Through The Zodiac, And Probably Even Showed Ancient Astronomers The Movements Of The Five Known Planets. In Decoding The Heavens, Jo Marchant Tells For The First Time The Story Of The 100-year Quest To Understand This Ancient Computer. Along The Way She Unearths A Diverse Cast Of Remarkable Characters - Ranging From Archimedes To Jacques Cousteau - And Explores The Deep Roots Of Modern Technology Not Only In Ancient Greece But In The Islamic World And Medieval Europe Too. At Heart An Epic Adventure Story, It Is A Book That Challenges Our Assumptions About Technology Transfer Over The Ages While Giving Us Fresh Insights Into History Itself. I See Dead People -- An Impossible Find -- Treasures Of War -- Rewriting History -- A Heroic Reconstruction -- The Moon In A Box -- Mechanic's Workshop -- The New Boys -- A Stunning Idea -- Old Man Of Syracuse. Jo Marchant. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "We in the twentieth century tend to assume that our era has a monopoly on the inventions of clever machines, labor-saving devices, feats of engineering, and advanced technology. But as the authors of this fascinating and eye-opening book reveal, some of humankind's most important and most amazing inventions actually date back thousands of years. Written with the pure joy of discovery, Ancient Inventions is a treasure trove of the triumphs and marvels of applied science, from the stone tools hewn by the earliest prehistoric people to the dawn of the modern era in 1492." "Historian and archaeologist team Peter James and Nick Thorpe have pooled their expertise in amassing this compendium of human ingenuity through the ages. Together they conclusively prove that our ancestors, however long ago they lived and whatever part of the globe they occupied, were brilliant problem-solvers." "Organized thematically, Ancient Inventions covers everything from medicine to communication, from high-tech devices to city life, from military equipment to sports and leisure, from transportation to human sexuality. Brimming with odd facts and entertaining curiosities, written with zest and humor, comprehensive and fun to read, Ancient Inventions is a wonderful celebration of the endless inventiveness of the human mind."--Jacket The period from the late fourth to the late second century B. C. witnessed, in Greek-speaking countries, an explosion of objective knowledge about the external world. WhileGreek culture had reached great heights in art, literature and philosophyalreadyin the earlier classical era, it is in the so-called Hellenistic period that we see for the ?rst time anywhere in the world the appearance of science as we understand it now: not an accumulation of facts or philosophically based speculations, but an or- nized effort to model nature and apply such models, or scienti?ctheories in a sense we will make precise, to the solution of practical problems and to a growing understanding of nature. We owe this new approach to scientists such as Archimedes, Euclid, Eratosthenes and many others less familiar todaybut no less remarkable. Yet, not long after this golden period, much of this extraordinary dev- opment had been reversed. Rome borrowed what it was capable of from the Greeks and kept it for a little while yet, but created very little science of its own. Europe was soon smothered in theobscurantism and stasis that blocked most avenues of intellectual development for a thousand years until, as is well known, the rediscovery of ancient culture in its fullness paved the way to the modern age.

Eclipses have long been seen as important celestial phenomena, whether as omens affecting the future of kingdoms, or as useful astronomical events to help in deriving essential parameters for theories of the motion of the moon and sun. This is the first book to collect together all presently known records of timed eclipse observations and predictions from antiquity to the time of the invention of the telescope. In addition to cataloguing and assessing the accuracy of the various records, which come from regions as diverse as Ancient Mesopotamia, China, and Europe, the sources in which they are found are described in detail. Related questions such as what type of clocks were used to time the observations, how the eclipse predictions were made, and how these prediction schemes were derived from the available observations are also considered. The results of this investigation have important consequences for how we understand the relationship between observation and theory in early science and the role of astronomy in early cultures, and will be of interest to historians of science, astronomers, and ancient and medieval historians.

The third and second centuries BC witnessed, in the Greek world, a scientific and technological explosion. Greek culture had reached great heights in art, literature and philosophy already in the earlier classical era, but it was in the age of Archimedes and Euclid that science as we know it was born, and gave rise to sophisticated technology that would not be seen again until the 18th century. This scientific revolution was also accompanied by great changes and a new kind of awareness in many other fields, including art and medicine.

What were the landmarks in the meteoric rise of science 2300 years ago? Why are they so little known today, even among scientists, classicists and historians? How do they relate to the post-1500 science that we are familiar with from school? What led to the end of ancient science? These are the questions that this book discusses, in the belief that the answers bear on choices we face today.

"In the age of Archimedes and Euclid (third century B.C.) science as we know it was born, and gave rise to sophisticated technology that would not be seen again until the 18th century. This scientific revolution was accompanied by great changes in many other fields, such as art and medicine. What were the landmarks of this enormous cultural shift? Why are they so little known today? How to they relate to the post-1500 science that we are familiar with? What led to the end of ancient science? These are the questions that this book discusses, in the belief that the answers bear on choices we face today."--Jacket Given the central and widely recognized role science plays in our civilization, one might think that the birth of science would be regarded as a crucial juncture in human history.