Decoding the Heavens: A 2,000-Year-old Computer and the Century Long Search to Discover Its Secrets
First edition
Author
Jo Marchant
Language
English
Genre
Non-fiction
Publisher
William Heinemann Ltd.
Publication date
November 2008
Media type
Print (Hardback)
Pages
336 pp
ISBN
0-434-01835-X
OCLC
230989682
Decoding the Heavens: A 2,000-Year-old Computer and the Century Long Search to Discover Its Secrets by Jo Marchant is an exploration of the history and significance of the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient mechanical calculator (also described as the first known mechanical computer)[1][2] designed to calculate astronomical positions. Technological artifacts of similar complexity did not reappear until a thousand years later.
Marchant approaches the mystery of the mechanism in a narrative that begins with the discovery of the Antikythera wreck in 1901 and includes a primer on the development of scuba gear in the 19th century. Throughout the book, Marchant weaves ancient history with the lives and travails of the handful of contemporary scientists who bucked conventional wisdom with their belief that the mechanism embodied technological and mathematical expertise thought to be impossible for its time. It is believed to have been built about 150–100 BC and yet the delicate bronze clockwork it embodies would not be known to Europe until the Middle Ages.
The author acknowledges (p. 302) that none of the principal researchers [3] from the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project were involved "in any way" with the writing of the book. The project has published a commentary [4] that sets out problems with the book's account of their work.
The book's account of the collaboration between Michael Wright and Allan Bromley is disputed.[5]
^"The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project Archived 2008-04-28 at the Wayback Machine", The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project. Retrieved 2009-05-29
^Washington Post Quote: Imagine tossing a top-notch laptop into the sea, leaving scientists from a foreign culture to scratch their heads over its corroded remains centuries later. A Roman shipmaster inadvertently did something just like it 2,000 years ago off southern Greece, experts said late Thursday.
^"The academic team"[permanent dead link] The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project. Retrieved 2009-06-07
^"Notes and Comments on Decoding the Heavens"
^"Decoding the Heavens: Mistakes and Misinterpretations"
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