The Ancient Greek Computer: The Antikythera Mechanism

The Ancient Greek Computer: The Antikythera Mechanism

In the recent Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny movie, the Antikythera Mechanism is used for time travel but in reality it was actually more of a celestial calculator- to track and predict astronomical phenomena. It was discovered by a group of Greek sponge divers in 1901 as they explored the site of an ancient shipwreck that dated back to the first century BCE. Among the wreckage on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, they found a complex arrangement of gears, wheels, and dials housed in a wooden case. It has astounded archaeologists, scientists and historians for years. It challenges our previous understanding of ancient technological capabilities and reveals the sophisticated level of scientific knowledge possessed by the ancient Greeks.


Dan is joined by Professor Tony Freeth, a man who understandings this astonishing object better than most- he is a founding member of the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project and an Honorary Professor at University College, London. He believes that the Antikythera Mechanism, may be an iteration of something designed by the great Greek inventor Archimedes, decades earlier...


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more.


Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.


If you want to get in touch with the podcast, you can email us at ds.hh@historyhit.com, we'd love to hear from you!


You can take part in our listener survey here.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(1500)

The Battle of Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo

Dan is joined by his dad, veteran broadcaster Peter Snow, to tell the incredible story of the clash between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington on June 18, 1815. This showdown - packed with ...

17 Jun 202553min

Iran & Israel: Allies to Enemies

Iran & Israel: Allies to Enemies

Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated with a recent Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and retaliation from Iran. The two countries openly carried out attacks on each other for the...

15 Jun 202536min

How Did Humans Take Over the World?

How Did Humans Take Over the World?

Humans are everywhere. How did we get from the savannahs of Africa across to the most northern reaches of Alaska and Greenland, to the outbacks of Australia and the islands of the Pacific millennia ag...

12 Jun 202539min

The Ultimate Mesopotamian Mystery

The Ultimate Mesopotamian Mystery

For thousands of years, ancient cuneiform - the script of the ancient Mesopotamians was lost to time, until being dramatically rediscovered in the 19th century by an adventurous group of unlikely Vict...

10 Jun 202538min

How the Nazis Escaped Germany

How the Nazis Escaped Germany

Following the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 some of its most egregious war criminals sought to escape justice by fleeing Europe, most famously to South America. The escape routes they used, establish...

8 Jun 202546min

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

The Romans built an empire that reshaped the world through brutal wars, brilliant strategy, and even the power of the pen. From the blood-soaked battlefields to the marble halls of Rome, a few towerin...

5 Jun 202556min

Disasters in the Age of Discovery

Disasters in the Age of Discovery

The dawn of the age of European exploration in the 16th century was absurdly dangerous. Crews on the ships of Christopher Columbus, Vasco De Gama and Ferdinand Magellan often sailed blind into unchart...

3 Jun 202546min

The Rise and Fall of the Assyrian Empire

The Rise and Fall of the Assyrian Empire

Was this the world’s first empire? To uncover the story of ancient history's most formidable powers, Dan is joined by Yale University’s Professor Eckart Frahm to explore Assyria’s military machine, it...

1 Jun 202548min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
rss-katastrofe
historier-som-endret-norge
henrettelsespodden
sektledere
aftenposten-historie
rss-benadet
med-egne-oyne
historier-som-endret-verden
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
historiepodden-ww2
rss-gamle-greier
rss-frontkjemperne
historiepodden
liberal-halvtime
rss-politisk-preik
rss-historiepodden-ww2
vare-historier
rss-historiske-romanser-svik-drap-og-kjarlighet