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Decoding the Moon Phase Display Device Over the Front Dial of the Antikythera Mechanism

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Decoding the Moon Phase Display Device Over the Front Dial of the Antikythera Mechanism CHINESE JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ·676· Vol. 28,aNo. 4,a2015 DOI: 10.3901/CJME.2015.0414.061, available online at www.springerlink.com; www.cjmenet.com; www.cjme.com.cn Decoding the Moon Phase Display Device over the Front Dial of the Antikythera Mechanism LIN Jian Liang* and YAN Hong Sen Department of Mechanical Engineering and University Museum, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, China Received September 22, 2014; revised April 7, 2015; accepted April 14, 2015 Abstract: The Antikythera mechanism is the most famous ancient astronomical calculator. The damaged excavation is a critical constraint for decoding the mechanism completely. By the systematic reconstruction design methodology, all feasible designs of the moon phase display device, which is one of the unclear mechanisms of the Antikythera mechanism, are reconstructed. These designs, including ordinary gear trains and epicyclic gear trains, are the simplest designs and satisfy the surviving evidence. The Antikythera mechanism and its reconstruction designs presented by LIN and YAN are introduced first. Three pointer types of the Antikythera mechanism are concluded based on their display motions and the orientation of the mechanism. In accordance with the analysis of the available interior reconstruction designs and the surviving evidence, four feasible designs of the moon phase display device are generated. All of them utilize the ball pointer with black and white that rotates around the radial axis to show cyclic moon phase. Two of these four feasible reconstruction designs are driven by one input source, and their bronze disks are fixed and rotatable respectively. Both of the remaining reconstruction designs are driven by two input sources, and their bronze disks are rotatable. Therefore, the four reconstruction designs of the moon phase display device reveal all possible display conditions of the moon phase pointers and the possible purposes of the bronze disk. Keywords: Antikythera mechanism, moon phase display device, reconstruction design, gear train discovery of its excavation is a great event of archaeology, 1 Introduction and the relevant historical background is interesting. The reconstruction research of this ancient mechanical Ingenious mechanical devices are designed to serve device depended on the development of image technology special purposes or perform special functions. By the in the past years. In 1975, PRICE presented the first combinations of joints and members, the devices can reconstruction design with the concentric front dials and transmit constrained motions by moving upon each other as back dials. The front displayed the Sun and the Moon. The mechanisms, or transmit forces without any relative motion back was suggested to show synodic month and lunar year, as structures. The characteristics of constrained motions of and the corresponding gear trains were incomplete[2–3]. On mechanical devices are used to proceed complicated the basis of PRICE’s design, EDMUNDS and MORGAN calculations and precise measurements, especially for the added the indications of Mar and Venus[4]. WRIGHT, et al, astronomical applications, such as astrarium, planetarium, presented a serious research to correct PRICE’s design and armillary sphere, astrolabe, orrery and mechanical clocks. gradually reconstruct the second design[5–15]. The spiral Among these mechanical devices, the pointer design back dials were presented, and the Metonic cycle and the regarding how to indicate the required information is one of Callippic cycle were indicated by the back upper dials, and the most important mechanism designs. The Persian the moon phase display function was introduced at the first astrolabe with calendrical gearing dated in AD 1221 as time[13]. FREETH, et al, almost completely decoded the shown in Fig. 1 is a good example. Its pointers not only inscriptions of back dials to confirm their functions, indicate the positions of astronomical bodies, but also show including the Metonic cycle, Callippic cycle, Olympiad moon phase[1]. As far as the pointer design is concerned, the cycle, Saros cycle and Exeligmos cycle[16–19]. Further, Antikythera mechanism, which is the astronomical FREETH, et al, reconstructed the epicyclig gear trains for calculator of ancient Greece, is a classical sample. The the planetary motions[20]. KOETSIER made a detail introduction about the historical development of [21] * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] reconstruction research of the mechanism . EVANS, et Supported by National Science Council, Taiwan, China(Grant No.NSC al, presented a different concept of the front dial and its 99-2221-E-006-253) corresponding design of epicyclic gear trains[22–23]. © Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015 CHINESE JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ·677· EFSTATHIOU, et al, investigated the characteristic of the excavation of the Antikythera mechanism that was the triangular gear shape and built a latest reconstruction model oldest astronomical calculator. that is preserved in the archaeological museum of Athens[24]. The Antikythera mechanism was identified to survive The complicated calculation and indication systems of the between 150 BC–100 BC. Its interior structure was a Antikythera mechanism contain many different kinds of sophisticated arrangement of bronzed gear trains and each pointers. Among them, the detail design of the moon phase surviving gear has triangular teeth shape. The available display device over the front dial to show the cyclic information including the gear sizes, the teeth depths and variation of moon phase is unclear owing to the damaged the corresponding teeth numbers implied the outstanding and insufficient evidence, even the existing design of the craftsmanship in the era of the Antikythera mechanism. device was identified as an epicyclic gear mechanism. Nevertheless, the device was absolutely strange to everyone at the discovery time. The historical records or literatures about such a geared device were not found. And, it was suggested that the unknown device with complex structure could be a geared calculator for making accurate measurements or calculation. Furthermore, none of all known ancient artifacts was the same as this excavated mechanical device, such as the calendrical gear train described in an Islamic treatise in 1000 AD, the Persian astrolabe with calendrical gearing in 1221 AD, the Byzantine sundial with calendrical gearing in 1062 AD and Dondi’s astrarium in the 14th century AD. As a result, this strange mechanical device was just named “Antikythera mechanism” in accordance with the excavated position. The Antikythera mechanism was gradually decoded through a long time period of research. It was a bronze geared astronomical calculator encased in a wooden box approximately 315 mm×190 mm×100 mm and driven by hands through a crank attached on one side, as shown in Fig. 2. Both the front and back have the doors, and there are numerous inscriptions on the plates. The following is the introduction of the known exterior appearance and characteristics. Fig. 1. Persian astrolabe with calendrical gearing in 1221[1] The purpose of this paper is to conclude all feasible designs of the moon phase display device that can correspond to various reconstruction designs of the interior structure presented by LIN and YAN[25–30]. The Antikythera mechanism and the authors’ efforts on its reconstruction designs by a systematical design methodology are introduced. The mechanism of all pointer designs contained are analyzed. These possible designs are able to perfectly connect to the authors’ previous reconstruction designs of Fig. 2. Reconstruction model by authors[25–30] the interior structure to restore the whole Antikythera [25–30] mechanism . Certainly, all reconstruction works are on 2.1 Front plate the basis of the surviving evidence. The front plate has one metal dial which includes two concentric annuli with different scales, as shown in Fig. 3(a). The inner scale is fixed and divided into 12 divisions. 2 Known Antikythera Mechanism Those groups are marked with names of the signs of the Zodiac in Greek. The outer scale is movable and divided In 1900, a team of Greek sponge-divers on their home into 365 parts corresponding to the Egyptian calendar. By way sailing from Tunisia to Symi was driven off course by turning the scale forward one day every four years, the a storm and was forced to stay in the Antikythera Island. calendar is corrected to be consistent to the true length of This accident resulted in the discovery of the Antikythera the year. Over the front dial, several pointers respectively shipwreck, a great treasure of archaeology, containing the display the date, the sun, the moon and the five planets, LIN Jian Liang, et al: Decoding the Moon Phase Display Device over the Front Dial ·678· of the Antikythera Mechanism including Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Furthermore, a bronze disk with a hole is over the center of 3 Reconstruction Work of the Interior the front concentric annuli and the above pointers. And a Structure small ball with black and white rotates inside the hole to display the change of moon phase during one month. That Ever since 1900, some scholars have made their efforts is the so-called moon phase display device in this paper. to reconstruct the interior gear trains of the Antikythera While the date is appointed, the positions of all designated mechanism[2–24]. D. PRICE presented the first systematic celestial bodies and the moon phase at that time are reconstruction design during the late 1950s to early revealed. In addition, there are some Parapegma 1970s[2–3]. M. WRIGHT presented another reconstruction inscriptions that describe the correspondence between the design, which could display the Metonic cycle and the rising and setting of particular stars and the civil date on the Callippic cycle in 2001 to 2007[5–15]. Since 2002, FREETH front plate. Some inscriptions could be regarded as the focused on decoding the interior structure of the manual to describe the operating this mechanism. mechanical device to define its appropriate role[16–18].
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