Decoding the heavens [electronic resource] : solving the mystery of the world's first computer / Jo Marchant.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Marchant, Josephine.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Astronomical clocks--Greece--History.

Astronomical clocks.

Greece--Antiquities.

Greece.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (345 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London : William Heinemann, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In Decoding the Heavens, Jo Marchant tells for the first time the full story of the hundred-year quest to decipher the ancient Greek computer known as the Antikythera Mechanism. Along the way she unearths a diverse cast of remarkable characters and explores the deep roots of modern technology in ancient Greece and the medieval European and Islamic worlds. At its heart, this is an epic adventure and mystery, a book that challenges our assumptions about technology through the ages.

Contents:

Contents; Prologue 1; 1: I See Dead People 4; 2: An Impossible Find 31; 3: Treasures of War 59; 4: Rewriting History 93; 5: A Heroic Reconstruction 130; 6: The Moon in a Box 159; 7: Mechanic's Workshop 187; 8: The New Boys 212; 9: A Stunning Idea 240; 10: Old Man of Syracuse 261; Epilogue 297; Acknowledgements 301; Picture Credits 305; Sources and Further Reading 307; Index 319

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-7867-4410-3

OCLC:

311271691