2000yr old computer the antikythera mechanism

http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2014/06/2000-year-old-computer-the-antikythera-mechanism-jaw-dropping-new-imagery-2978520.html

Wow!! this thing is amazing this would have been a great technological achievement 500yrs ago let alone 2000yrs ago.

How did the Greeks have such knowledge of the stars and of such intricate clockwork technology all those centuries ago?

The article states;

This also helps to pin down the date because the Romans took over that region in the 2nd century BC. A Greek-inscribed gadget like this, reasons Jones, would not have been made after the Romans took charge.

So did the Romans slow down the advancement of technology?

The Greeks were indeed well ahead of their time. Hell, Hero of Alexandria damn near set off the industrial revolution while the contemporaries of Christ were still alive. Just check out some of his works such as Pneumatica or Automata.

The steam and pneumatic machines that did get built usually went to the temples to impress their followers. As far as creating such machines to do actual work, it didn't make economic sense as Rome had a surplus of slave labor.

Also, the cities at the time operated differently than today. The Nobles were expected to support and provide entertainment for the proletariat, and as such there was hardly any economic competition to drive innovation.

But as for the Antikythera mechanism itself, the article says: A Greek-inscribed gadget like this, reasons Jones, would not have been made after the Romans took charge.

Well, that's because after the Romans took charge, it would have been inscribed with Latin.

You gotta dig deep before finding something newsworthy on beforeitsnew.com haha

I believe in circles we repeat history all the time and their are hidden signs all over the place.

and nice post @br0kenrabbit ! :-)

History doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme.

Based on recorded history we can only assume it rhymes but I like to imagine even a complex calculation as life has to repeat itself i.e. we may have lived this same exact life before and after

lol

@br0kenrabbit: it's laughable pretty much lol

Those comments...oh my God those comments just made my brain shut down to conserve brain cells...

Woah, woah, woah, before we all talk about how AMAZING this is, we have to ask: Will it be able to run Star Citizen on ultra???

I heard it had a Zeus 370. That could run it.

Dude, it simulates solar eclipses. I didn't hear Star Citizen having solar eclipses. Lol @lastgenStarCitizen

But yes, the ancient world was pretty incredible, considering how western civilization didn't really catch up until the 17th and 18th century.

@br0kenrabbit: so the Romans held back the advancement and innovation of engineering and technology because they had no practical need for it, that's sad makes me think how things would be different today if, the innovations of that time were allowed to flourish. Romans set us back technologically.

It wasn't Romans in particular. The Chinese and ancient Arab empires could have sparked their own industrial revolutions, but again the structures of their societies put a damper on it.

@br0kenrabbit: were the ancient Chinese and Arabs as advanced as the ancient Greeks? I'm dumb I know nothing :)

Well, you have China to thank for four inventions that changed the world: The compass, paper, gunpowder and printing. They also developed such things as rockets, hand grenades, land mines, the mechanical clock, mechanical theater, and so on.

And you have the Arab world to thank for the number system you're familiar with, algebra, fine optics, and many advances in surgery and medicine. Also, if it weren't for the Arabs, most of Greek technology would have been lost during the European dark ages...in fact, you can thank them for preserving Hero of Alexandria's works.

@br0kenrabbit: it makes me wonder if they didn't come out with these inventions would anyone else have come up with them, were we destined to have these inventions in our lives? Just ignore me I'm just rambling lol

Who knows? As history shows, just because the pieces are in place doesn't necessarily mean anyone is going to put them together.

Oh the antikythera mechanism, I had to do a "report" on that for intro to engineering. Professor wouldn't let me finish presenting until I admitted that aliens created the device and that I was full of crap for trying to explain it...pleasant guy.

I'll bet aliens probed his asshole, too. Deeply.

I'm usually impressed by stories like this but not in this case. Back then humans didn't have as many distractions as we have today. Most of us spend our days taking part in trivial matters. We barely take time to study space or think about our origin and those type of subjects. Humans back then would focus on their surroundings and human nature. The level of intelligence developed back then was higher than today's generation, and most people were educated and would also share knowledge so there was a true collective effort in advancing the society.

Nowadays most of our society spends their time checking what other people are up to, keeping up with their reality shows, etc etc. Our generation gets dumber but due to the way our society has been built. We value entertainment more than we value science, a basketball player makes more than a scientist.

You have an unusual view on history. Of course if you compare the best of the past to the worst of the present ten the past would look great. But in reality not everyone in Greece was like Plato or Homer.

i don't think most people were educated.