Antikythera and all that

Friday, October 27, 2006

5Ws about the Antikythera mechanism


Who made it? Nobody knows for sure. It could have been made by the Greek Stoic philosopher Posidonius (ca. 135 BC – 51 BC) or by a student of him.

What is it? It is an orrery. A mechanical device that illustrates the relative positions and motions of the planets and the moon in the solar system in a heliocentric model.


Where was it made? If the Posidonius theory is correct it was made in Rhodes.

and so When? ca. 80 BC.

Why was it made? To track celestial bodies for astrologically important occasions such as religious events or births or possibly as an elaborate display of knowledge.

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