Session 2 :: Antiquity

Repetitio :: Mythology Questio :: What is a machine ? Lectio :: Antiquity Antikythera mechanism Heron of Alexandria other traditions Ex...

What is "a machine" ?

English word machine comes through Middle French from Latin machina, which in turn derives from the Greek (Doric μαχανά makhana, Ionic μηχανή mekhane "contrivance, device, ...

An apparatus using mechanical power and having several parts, each with a definite function and together performing a particular task. Any device that transmits a force or...

an ancient Greek analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendar and astrological purposes decades in advance created sometimes arou...

greatest experimenter of antiquity teacher at Musaeum author of works like Pneumatica, Automata, Mechanica, On the dioptra, Belopoeica, Catoptrica, Geodesia, Geopon...

holy water dispenser windwheel organ Hero's engine (aeolipile) 10-minute long fully mechanical theater piece involving a first "programmable" robot Windwhee...

"When King Solomon stepped upon the throne, a mechanism was set in motion. As soon as he stepped upon the first step, the golden ox and the golden lion each stretched out one fo...

The king stared at the figure in astonishment. It walked with rapid strides, moving its head up and down, so that anyone would have taken it for a live human being. The artifice...

less interested in "crude", hardware-oriented disciplines of robotics and mechanics (an exception: "The story of a mechanical girl") more interested in "subtle", softw...

Watch some videos about addition, subtraction and multiplication on an Abacus (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwabVzlobZI) You can validate the activity-credit for ...

What is NOT "a machine" ?