EON

Method Of Setting Olympics Date Was Done Using Mechanical Means

London- A mechanical brass type of calculator is thought now to have been used by the Ancient Greeks to predict lunar and solar eclipses.

It was also used to set the first Olympic games, and other dates for events in the lives of early Greek citizens.

The mechanical device, called the Antikthera Mechanism, was retrieved from a Greek shipwreck off of the island of Antikythera in the year 1901, and it stands as a shining example of the type of actual technical prowess that the ancient Greek people possessed.

The Olympic games began on the first full moon closest to the summer solstice, and the Antikythera device was used in early times to calculate ahead just when that would be.

X Ray 3D technology has recently discovered several tiny inscriptions that are present on the inner surfaces of the brass device that reveal its role in setting the date of the first Olympics.

Reporting in the science journal Nature, researchers have discovered a number of revelations regarding the device, including dials, settings and inscriptions that previously lay undetected with the device.

This device is continued to be studied, and will likely reveal more information about the early Greek culture.