The Antikythera Mechanism is one of the most debated - execpt perhaps the Elgin Marbles - Greek artefacts. Where the frieze of the Parthenon leaves us with mainly one single question, 'Who does it belong to?', this no-doubt ingenious ancient device raises a myriad questions like, 'When and by whom was it created?'; What purpose did it serve?'; 'How did it look in its entirety?' and, 'What was it doing on board of the Antikythera Wreck?' Scholars around the world are working hard to resolve these issues, and every year new answers surface. One thing all the scholars agree on, however, is that the Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest analogue computer discovered (up until now).
On 17 May 1902 archaeologist Valerios Stais made the most celebrated find: when diving to search the area of the Antikythera wreck, he noticed that one of the pieces of rock near him had a gear wheel embedded in it. It would soon be identified as the Antikythera mechanism; originally thought to be one of the first forms of a mechanised clock, it is now considered to be the world’s oldest known analog computer.
The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient mechanical calculator designed to calculate astronomical positions. Its complexity and significance were not understood until decades after it's discovery. It is now thought to have been built about 150–100 BC. Consensus among scholars is that the mechanism was made in Greece. All the instructions of the mechanism are written in Greek.
The Antikythera wreck is a shipwreck that in October 1900 was discovered by sponge divers off the coast of the Greek island, Antikythera. By the end of 1902, divers had recovered statues of a philosopher's head, a young boy, a discus thrower, the bronze Antikythera Ephebe of ca. 340 BC, a Hercules, a marble bull and a bronze lyre. Many other small and common artifacts were also found.
On 17 May 1902, however, archaeologist Valerios Stais made the most celebrated find, identified as the Antikythera mechanism.
Although the retrieval of artifacts from the shipwreck was highly successful and accomplished in two years, dating the site proved difficult and took much longer. Based on related works with known provenances, some of the bronze statues dated back to the 4th century BC, while the marble statues were found to be 1st century BC copies of earlier works.
Some scholars have speculated that the ship was carrying part of the loot of the Roman General Sulla from Athens in 86 BC, and might have been on its way to Italy. A reference by the Greek writer, Lucian, to one of Sulla's ships sinking in the Antikythera region gave rise to this theory.
This is one of the finest large cast bronze sculptures of the Hellenistic period.
It has been restored almost to its entirety from fragments found in a 1st century BC shipwreck. The naked youth stands firmly on his left leg, as his right leg relaxes to the side and back giving his body the sense of muscular tension. The right arm hangs casually by his side, while the raised left hand held an object, which is now missing.
This statue most probably represents Paris holding the apple of Eris. Other interpretations are Perseus holding Medusa's head, or an athlete holding a ball. The figure's structure, harmony of movement and rendering of the muscles show the influence of the Polykleitian 'cannon', but this youth's body is rounder and more athletic than those of Polykleitos.
