THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM
The most accurate and functional replicas of the Antikythera Mechanism ever made!
What was the Antikythera Mechanism ?
Celestial objects' observer
The Antikythera Mechanism could calculate the position of the Sun and the Moon on the sky as well as the phase of the Moon, with extraordinary precision. It simulated the elliptical movement of the Moon around the Earth with an amazing mechanical gadget, permuting Kepler's 1st and 2nd law 1700 years ago!
Olympic games predictor
One of the pointers could predict the most important panhellenic games, e.g. Olympic games. These games took place every 2 or 4 years but not at the same date every year. The exact date was determined by the phase of the Moon, so it was very important to know Moon's movement in order to predict the starting date of the games. Of course, for the Antikythera Mechanism, that was just another output!
Eclipses predictor
One of the most outstanding features of the Antikythera Mechanism was the ability to predict Sun's and Moon's eclipses with an accuracy of one hour! The lower back dial, Saros dial, could predict any eclipse that would take place in the future or has already taken place. The astonishing accuracy of one hour, implies the profound astronomical knowlege that Greeks had.
A complex device with "user's manual"
Nowadays, it is almost unthinkable to buy a machine without a "user's manual". The same stands for the Antikythera Mechanism, which has an extensive "manual" about the way someone will operate it. This "manual" was on the doors and on the dials' plate of the Mechanism and explained the indications of the pointers and many other astronomical related issues!
The history of the Antikythera Mechanism
Gallery
Here are some images and videos of our Antikythera Mechanism replicas. Feel free to discover them!About us
Who we are
3D Solidforms was found in 2013 and its main activity is the design and construction of objects with the use of modern technologies, such as 3D printing and 3D scanning. Its founders Efstathiou Marianna and Basiakoulis Alexandros are graduates of the Mechanical Engineering faculty of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki with specialization in the Antikythera Mechanism and the use of modern investigation techniques and construction of its copies. Both of them have been members of the Antikythera Mechanism Aristotle University research team since 2009 and have numerous publications in scientific journals concerning the Mechanism, while they have participated in international conferences as speakers. Up until now, they have constructed 9 copies in 1:1 scale in 4 different versions (according to the research progress), one copy in scale 4:1 and three in 3:1.