1 10 After the world's oldest "computer" was unearthed, scientists finally solved its secret.

190 1 year, divers found an ancient sunken ship off the coast of Antioch, Greece. A cultural relic in the sunken ship has been a mystery for more than one hundred years.

This cultural relic is called Antioch Kitera Machinery, which has a history of more than 2,000 years. This is a highly complex astronomical calculator, which is often called the oldest analog "computer" in the world. This manual power device is made in ancient Greece, made of bronze, including dozens of gears, which shows the astronomical movement in the eyes of the ancient Greeks, even the time of sports events such as the ancient Olympic Games, and reflects a very old concept of the universe centered on the earth.

In 20 14, Antioch Kitera machinery was exhibited in the Greek National Archaeological Museum. Photo: AFP

/kloc-for more than 0/00 years, it has been a long-term challenge for scientists to understand the operating mechanism of Antioch Kitera machinery, because only one third of the mechanical remains survived in the choppy Mediterranean. Now there are only 82 fragments left, including some complicated gears and inscriptions that were once hidden.

Although some mysteries of Antioch Kitera's machinery have been solved in the past century, the research team of University College London (UCL) put forward "a radical new model, which matched all the data and finally elegantly showed the universe in the eyes of the ancient Greeks". Their paper was published in March 12 issue of Science Report. The paper shows that they use 3D computer modeling to reproduce the front of the equipment, hoping to build a mechanical replica of Antioch Quitela with the same size by using modern materials.

Professor Tony Freeth, the first author of the paper, said, "Our model is the first one that conforms to all the physical evidence and is consistent with the inscription on the mechanical device itself."

Over the years, the research team has been able to explain the operation of the mechanical back solar eclipse prediction system. In 2006, in a study also led by Freys, scientists used surface imaging and high-resolution X-ray tomography to find dozens of inscriptions that had never been seen before, and these inscriptions became a "user's guide" to understanding machinery.

Fraser is being interviewed by the media.

Now, Fraser and his colleagues think that they have solved the missing part of the puzzle: the complex gear structure at the front of the machine.

"This new paper synthesizes other people's work and deals with details that others completely ignore," said Adam F. Losik, another member of the research team. "The mysterious pillars and holes in the device suddenly became meaningful and the clues were all connected."

The inscription in the study in 2006 shows that the image of the universe in front of the machine is a set of moving circular images, which depict the movements of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the path of the sun, the moon phase and the position of the zodiac. Each ring diagram is represented by a gem.

In a study on 20 16, the inscription on the front of the machine contained a pair of values: 462 and 442. The maker of the machine associates it with Venus and Saturn. According to this study, these values are the ancient Greeks' calculations of the planetary synchronization period, and they represent the time required for the planet to return from the earth to the same obvious position in the sky.

This discovery inspired UCL's team. They inferred the periods of other planets from the data of Venus and Saturn, and then designed a new gear system. This new system is closer to the original appearance of Antioch Kitera machinery than any previous model, but this does not mean that people have uncovered all its mysteries.

Next, Freys and Wosik's team will copy Antioch Quitela machinery in equal proportion according to their model. Their next goal is to find out how the ancient Greeks made such a complicated machine.

UCL team used 3D modeling technology to reproduce the mechanical facade of Antioch Kitera.