The Antikythera Mechanism 2024

In 1901 sponge divers off the coast of the island of Antikythera, Greece discovered a Roman shipwreck. This was surely a high-status transport that had sunk in the second century BC. In addition to many marble sculptures and artifacts the divers spotted a greenish hunk of coral encrusted bronze. At the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, the lump broke apart, revealing bronze precision gearwheels the size of coins. The major pieces of this relic were dated to around 250 B.C., but gears of this sort should not have existed for many centuries. It took until the 1970’s for scientists to x-ray the fragments and it was at this point they determined it was more than just an astrolabe for finding the positions of the stars, but an analog computer capable of many advanced calculations not thought possible until a thousand years later. CT scans revealed writing and an extensive gear train. It was found that the machine could predict solar and lunar eclipses and had settings for following the 5 visible major planets. The mechanism could even predict the opening day of the Olympics well into the future. This object, no larger than a shoe box, has been attributed to Archimedes of Syracuse. Much of the mechanism’s design relied upon wisdom gained from Middle Eastern scientists of historic Babylonian astronomy. Taking data from clay tablets, combined with naked eye observations a machine was conceived that could predict the future.
As an artist and engineer I have long been intrigued by this mechanism as well as other pieces of vintage scientific equipment. The intersection of art and engineering is as old as humans. Lost for 2100 years at the bottom of the Mediterranean was a machine that could peer into the future. I look back on the vintage Chemical Abstracts I have collected to produce these awards and marvel at the rapid advance in our ability to disseminate knowledge. I was also inspired by the pinwheel of the 5 year Plan for Growth and how it sets a path for the future. This award reflects upon the talent that is so valued at CAS, those people who are so integral to the customer experience. Applying all the available tools that help grow the core business is foundational, creating new tools like AI will afford a look into the future.
Aaron Kramer Artist

[@JJSpam]

2023 or 2024? the plaque

[@urbanobjects]

It’s an award for last years sales at the company. The date is always for the year before.