In many ways it appears that we are recreating history but just in a much more modern society. We have marveled at the achievements of ancient man. Today in the year 2014 there is much discussion on how the pyramids were actually built, we have found many megaliths from Egypt to Mexico, South America, North American and Europe that were cut in such exacting standards that we would have a hard (but not impossible) time duplicating these feats today
Was Ancient Egypt lit at night!
For historians this is the stuff of nightmares. How do they deal with these anomalies? For the closed minded it’s a three stage process: Ignore, deny, debunk. Still, for all their efforts the museums of the world are full of artifacts and records that don’t fit. Some are hoaxes, some are mistakes but some are remarkable and deserve better investigation. Here are several popular examples of direct and indirect ancient technology that have only made into the fringe of the history books.
Make no mistake that this information is not to diminish the efforts and achievements of mankind, on the contrary, mankind's earliest accomplishments were even more astounding then we ever expected. The question does beg, did early mankind have some source of knowledge that we are only beginning to understand today.
If mankind did have some type of assistance, who, how and when did it happen. Just like some of these ancient anomalies, somethings just don't fit!
THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM
The Antikythera Mechanism currently on display in the Hellenic Museum in Athens, Greece.
This remarkable mechanical device that is often described as the World’s first analogue computer was retrieved by sponge divers off the coast of Antikythera in or around 1900AD.
Scientists all agree that it is real and that it dates from some time during the 2nd century BC making it well over 2,000 years old. It comprises of a complex system of dials, gears and cogs of extraordinary precision. Experts agree that it represents a standard of production that would not be seen again until the rise of complex clocks and clockwork in the 18th century. After decades of research the current thinking is that it was used as an astronomy calculator to predict and measure the movement of the planets in relationship to the Sun, Earth and the Moon
THE ABYDOS CARVINGS
The Abydos carvings showing a helicopter and other futuristic Vehicles Located in the Temple of Seti The First – Abydos, Egypt
Located approximately 450 kilometres south of Cairo in Egypt is the very ancient city-complex of Abydos. Believed by many to be one of the most important historical sites relating to ancient Egypt it is also the location of a set of carvings that have caused significant controversy amongst archaeologists and historians.
Within the Temple of Seti the 1st (Seti I) you can find the outer Hypostyle Hall and on one of the lintels you can find a series of carvings that look very much like helicopters and futuristic space craft. The Helicopter is particularly recognizable and this has led to questions being raised about how this can possibly exist. Naturally, every UFO enthusiast or believer in a once technologically advanced Atlantean civilization has pointed to these images as proof of their theories.he Abydos carvings showing a helicopter and other futuristic Vehicles.
Equally, every mainstream Egyptologist has gone to great lengths to explain that they are nothing more than the result of older hieroglyphs that were plastered over and then carved again so that when the plaster later collapsed the modified images that were under the plaster reappeared but in their new and coincidental design. This has been the official line debunking the Abydos Machines. Quite complex charts have been created to show how the process took place. Further more, they have rolled out the old argument that because they have never found items of this nature they could never have exited. Where are they now, they laugh? Did they just fly away? Oh whoops!
Recently there has been some highly detailed and intelligent challenges to the theory that these images were simply the byproduct of re-carving. The first is that this was an important building and the use of plaster would have been anomalous. Instead, the Egyptians would have used a special sandstone filler that they were well experienced in making that was much more robust. The re-carving theory is also coming under scrutiny and recent practical experiments cannot duplicate the effect described by the experts. Lastly, some researchers believe that the layout of the items has a strong and accurate relationship with the Golden Section concept.
Their point becomes quite interesting when they say that the coincidence that original carvings could be covered and re-carved and then still align to a set of perfect measurements is simply unbelievable. Either way there is something persistent about this mystery and the debate will continue. Did the Egyptians whiz around in strange futuristic craft or did they just witness something they couldn’t explain and carve it in stone as a record. Perhaps time will tell but it hasn’t so far.
THE PHAISTOS DISK
The two sides of the ancient Phaistos Disk showing the undecipherable symbols. On display in the Heraklion Museum in Crete.
This unusual discovery was made in 1908 in an underground temple depository linked to the ancient Minoan palace site of Phaistos, on the island of Crete. Archaeologist Luigi Pernier removed the disk from a layer of black earth which has allowed the artifact to be contextually dated to between 1850 BC and 1600 BC. Made from fired clay, the disk is approximately 15cm in diameter and a centimeter thick with symbols imprinted on both sides. The meaning of the writing has never been understood in a way that is acceptable to mainstream archaeologists or students of ancient languages. It is unusual for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it is one of a kind and no other item (with perhaps the exception of the Arkalochori Axe) bears any similar script. The writing itself has been created by pressing preformed characters into the soft clay which would make this the earliest recorded use of movable type. It is important to note that it was found close to a second tablet with standard writing from this period know as Linear A.
Although there has been some controversy over the authenticity of the Disk it is widely believed to be genuine and is on display in the Heraklion Museum of Crete, Greece. Numerous theories have been suggested and range from the Phaistos Disk being a prayer token to a message from ancient aliens. A recent and quite plausible theory is that it was a coded message that was read and then disposed of by dropping it into the pits. If this is the case it would represent one of the earliest forms of sophisticated encryption.
DENDRA LIGHTS (BAGDAD BATTERY)
One of the reliefs depicting the Dendera Lights. The other panels are even more impressive but not copyright free at this time. Discovered in the Hathor Temple, Dendera, Egypt.
There are three stone reliefs (carvings) that can be viewed in the Hathor Temple section of the Dendera Archaeological complex which is located on the banks of the Nile approximately 300 miles south of Cairo, Egypt. Some researchers’ claim that these images depict an ancient form of electrical technology or lighting system.
Mainstream Egyptologists strongly dispute that there is anything unusual about the carvings and claim that they merely represent aspects of Egyptian mythology and actual show the birthing of a snake from a lotus flower. However, a close look at the picture does raise some interesting points and questions.
The lotus flower is easily recognisable but the beam (or bulb) is unusual. The stem of the lotus is unusually long and cable-like – and does appear to connect to a device that is similar to the ancient Baghdad Battery
Actual Baghdad Battery
The pillar does look remarkably like a modern electrical insulator of the type that is used on national power-lines and from this device two arms reach up to support the bulb or beam. The snake is a representation of power and energy and leaves the lotus in a manner very similar to the elongated filaments associated with industrial lighting. There have been many claims used to try and prove that these objects were real and these claims have subsequently been debunked.
This criticism has then been associated with the carvings too. Those opposed to the electrical lighting theory have often argued that if these existed there would have been archaeological artifacts found to corroborate pictures. They claim that no such artifacts have been found. This is a fallacious argument. It depends on the idea that something can’t exist because humanity either hasn’t found it or can’t understand it. This is a subject worth exploring in much more detail.
Ancient Technology From the Past That Fit no Modern Explanation, Video Links to Amazing Technologies From the 1940's, 50's & 60's
In 1936, while excavating ruins of a 2000-year-old village near Baghdad, workers discovered mysterious small vase. A 6-inch-high pot of bright yellow clay dating back two millennia contained a cylinder of sheet-copper 5 inches by 1.5 inches. The edge of the copper cylinder was soldered with a 60-40 lead-tin alloy comparable to today's solder. The bottom of the cylinder was capped with a crimped-in copper disk and sealed with bitumen or asphalt. Another insulating layer of asphalt sealed the top and also held in place an iron rod suspended into the center of the copper cylinder. The rod showed evidence of having been corroded with an acidic agent
An Ancient Battery
German archaeologist , Wilhelm König, examined the object and came to a surprising conclusion that the clay pot was nothing less than an ancient electric battery.
The ancient battery in the Baghdad Museum
Re-creation of the Baghdad battery
The ancient battery in the Baghdad Museum, as well as those others which were unearthed in Iraq, are all dated from the Parthian occupation between 248 BCE and 226 CE. However, Dr. Konig also found copper vases plated with silver in the Baghdad Museum, excavated from Sumerian sites in southern Iraq, dating back to at least 2500 BCE. When the vases were lightly tapped, a blue patina or film separated from the surface, which is characteristic of silver electroplated onto copper base. It would appear then that the Parthians inherited their batteries from one of the earliest known civilizations.
In 1940, Willard F.M. Gray, an engineer at the General Electric High Volatage Laboratory in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, read of Konig's theory. Using drawings and details supplied by German rocket scientist Willy Ley, Gray made a replica of the battery. Using copper sulfate solution, it generated about half a volt of electricity.
In 1970s, German Egyptologist, Arne Eggebrecht built a replica of the Baghdad battery and filled it with freshly pressed grape juice, as he speculated the ancients might have done. The replica generated 0.87V. He used current from the battery to electroplate a silver statuette with gold.
This experiment proved that electric batteries were used some 1,800 years before their modern invention by Alessandro Volta in 1799. It also seems that the use of similar batteries can be safely placed into ancient Egypt, where several objects with traces of electroplated precious metals have been found at different locations. There are several anomalous finds from other regions, which suggests use of electricity on a grander scale.
The Riddle of "Baghdad's batteries"
Arran Frood investigates what could have been the very first batteries and how these important archaeological and technological artefacts are now at risk from the impending war in Iraq.
I don't think anyone can say for sure what they were used for, but they may have been batteries because they do work Dr Marjorie Senechal
War can destroy more than a people, an army or a leader. Culture, tradition and history also lie in the firing line. Iraq has a rich national heritage. The Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel are said to have been sited in this ancient land.
In any war, there is a chance that priceless treasures will be lost forever, articles such as the "ancient battery" that resides defenceless in the museum of Baghdad.
For this object suggests that the region, whose civilizations gave us writing and the wheel, may also have invented electric cells - two thousand years before such devices were well known.
Biblical clues
It was in 1938, while working in Khujut Rabu, just outside Baghdad in modern day Iraq, that German archaeologist Wilhelm Konig unearthed a five-inch-long (13 cm) clay jar containing a copper cylinder that encased an iron rod.
THE KEY COMPONENTS Batteries dated to around 200 BC Could have been used in gilding
The vessel showed signs of corrosion, and early tests revealed that an acidic agent, such as vinegar or wine had been present. In the early 1900s, many European archaeologists were excavating ancient Mesopotamian sites, looking for evidence of Biblical tales like the Tree of Knowledge and Noah's flood.
Konig did not waste his time finding alternative explanations for his discovery. To him, it had to have been a battery.
Though this was hard to explain, and did not sit comfortably with the religious ideology of the time, he published his conclusions. But soon the world was at war, and his discovery was forgotten.
Scientific awareness
More than 60 years after their discovery, the batteries of Baghdad - as there are perhaps a dozen of them - are shrouded in myth.
"The batteries have always attracted interest as curios," says Dr Paul Craddock, a metallurgy expert of the ancient Near East from the British Museum.
"They are a one-off. As far as we know, nobody else has found anything like these. They are odd things; they are one of life's enigmas."
No two accounts of them are the same. Some say the batteries were excavated, others that Konig found them in the basement of the Baghdad Museum when he took over as director. There is no definite figure on how many have been found, and their age is disputed.
Most sources date the batteries to around 200 BC - in the Parthian era, circa 250 BC to AD 225. Skilled warriors, the Parthians were not noted for their scientific achievements.
"Although this collection of objects is usually dated as Parthian, the grounds for this are unclear," says Dr St John Simpson, also from the department of the ancient Near East at the British Museum.
"The pot itself is Sassanian. This discrepancy presumably lies either in a misidentification of the age of the ceramic vessel, or the site at which they were found."
Underlying principles
In the history of the Middle East, the Sassanian period (circa AD 225 - 640) marks the end of the ancient and the beginning of the more scientific medieval era.
Though most archaeologists agree the devices were batteries, there is much conjecture as to how they could have been discovered, and what they were used for.
How could ancient Persian science have grasped the principles of electricity and arrived at this knowledge?
Perhaps they did not. Many inventions are conceived before the underlying principles are properly understood.
The Chinese invented gunpowder long before the principles of combustion were deduced, and the rediscovery of old herbal medicines is now a common occurrence.
You do not always have to understand why something works - just that it does.
Enough zap
It is certain the Baghdad batteries could conduct an electric current because many replicas have been made, including by students of ancient history under the direction of Dr Marjorie Senechal, professor of the history of science and technology, Smith College, US.
"I don't think anyone can say for sure what they were used for, but they may have been batteries because they do work," she says. Replicas can produce voltages from 0.8 to nearly two volts.
Making an electric current requires two metals with different electro potentials and an ion carrying solution, known as an electrolyte, to ferry the electrons between them. Connected in series, a set of batteries could theoretically produce a much higher voltage, though no wires have ever been found that would prove this had been the case.
"It's a pity we have not found any wires," says Dr Craddock. "It means our interpretation of them could be completely wrong."
But he is sure the objects are batteries and that there could be more of them to discover. "Other examples may exist that lie in museums elsewhere unrecognised".
He says this is especially possible if any items are missing, as the objects only look like batteries when all the pieces are in place.
Possible uses
Some have suggested the batteries may have been used medicinally.
The ancient Greeks wrote of the pain killing effect of electric fish when applied to the soles of the feet.
The Chinese had developed acupuncture by this time, and still use acupuncture combined with an electric current. This may explain the presence of needle-like objects found with some of the batteries.
But this tiny voltage would surely have been ineffective against real pain, considering the well-recorded use of other painkillers in the ancient world like cannabis, opium and wine.
Other scientists believe the batteries were used for electroplating - transferring a thin layer of metal on to another metal surface - a technique still used today and a common classroom experiment.
This idea is appealing because at its core lies the mother of many inventions: money.
In the making of jewellery, for example, a layer of gold or silver is often applied to enhance its beauty in a process called gilding.
Grape electrolyte
Two main techniques of gilding were used at the time and are still in use today: hammering the precious metal into thin strips using brute force, or mixing it with a mercury base which is then pasted over the article.
These techniques are effective, but wasteful compared with the addition of a small but consistent layer of metal by electro-deposition. The ability to mysteriously electroplate gold or silver on to such objects would not only save precious resources and money, but could also win you important friends at court.
Let's hope the world manages to resolve its present problems so people can go and see them. Dr Paul Craddock
A palace, kingdom, or even the sultan's daughter may have been the reward for such knowledge - and motivation to keep it secret. Testing this idea in the late seventies, Dr Arne Eggebrecht, then director of Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim, connected many replica Baghdad batteries together using grape juice as an electrolyte, and claimed to have deposited a thin layer of silver on to another surface, just one ten thousandth of a millimetre thick.
Other researchers though, have disputed these results and have been unable to replicate them.
"There does not exist any written documentation of the experiments which took place here in 1978," says Dr Bettina Schmitz, currently a researcher based at the same Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum.
"The experiments weren't even documented by photos, which really is a pity," she says. "I have searched through the archives of this museum and I talked to everyone involved in 1978 with no results."
Tingling idols
Although a larger voltage can be obtained by connecting more than one battery together, it is the ampage which is the real limiting factor, and many doubt whether a high enough power could ever have been obtained, even from tens of Baghdad batteries.
One serious flaw with the electroplating hypothesis is the lack of items from this place and time that have been treated in this way.
"The examples we see from this region and era are conventional gild plating and mercury gilding," says Dr Craddock. "There's never been any untouchable evidence to support the electroplating theory."
He suggests a cluster of the batteries, connected in parallel, may have been hidden inside a metal statue or idol.
He thinks that anyone touching this statue may have received a tiny but noticeable electric shock, something akin to the static discharge that can infect offices, equipment and children's parties.
"I have always suspected you would get tricks done in the temple," says Dr Craddock. "The statue of a god could be wired up and then the priest would ask you questions.
"If you gave the wrong answer, you'd touch the statue and would get a minor shock along with perhaps a small mysterious blue flash of light. Get the answer right, and the trickster or priest could disconnect the batteries and no shock would arrive - the person would then be convinced of the power of the statue, priest and the religion."
Magical rituals
It is said that to the uninitiated, science cannot be distinguished from magic. "In Egypt we know this sort of thing happened with Hero's engine," Dr Craddock says.
Hero's engine was a primitive steam-driven machine, and like the battery of Baghdad, no one is quite sure what it was used for, but are convinced it could work.
If this idol could be found, it would be strong evidence to support the new theory. With the batteries inside, was this object once revered, like the Oracle of Delphi in Greece, and "charged" with godly powers?
Even if the current were insufficient to provide a genuine shock, it may have felt warm, a bizarre tingle to the touch of the unsuspecting finger.
At the very least, it could have just been the container of these articles, to keep their secret safe.
Perhaps it is too early to say the battery has been convincingly demonstrated to be part of a magical ritual. Further examination, including accurate dating, of the batteries' components are needed to really answer this mystery.
No one knows if such an idol or statue that could have hidden the batteries really exists, but perhaps the opportunity to look is not too far away - if the items survive the looming war in the Middle East.
"These objects belong to the successors of the people who made them," says Dr Craddock. "Let's hope the world manages to resolve its present problems so people can go and see them."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism The Antikythera mechanism (/ˌæntɨkɨˈθɪərə/ ANT-i-ki-THEER-ə or /ˌæntɨˈkɪθərə/ ANT-i-KITH-ə-rə) is an ancient analog computer[1][2][3][4] designed to predict astronomical positions and eclipses. It was recovered in 1900–01 from the Antikythera wreck, a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera.[5] The instrument has been designed and constructed by Greek scientists and dated between 150 to 100 BC.[6] Technological artifacts approaching its complexity and workmanship did not appear again until the 14th century, when mechanical astronomical clocks began to be built in Western Europe.[7]
The mechanism was housed in a wooden box about 340 × 180 × 90 mm in size and comprised 30 bronze gears (although more could have been lost). The largest gear, clearly visible in fragment A, was about 140 mm in diameter and had 223 teeth. The mechanism's remains were found as 82 separate fragments of which only seven contain any gears or significant inscriptions.[8][9]
Since their discovery the fragments of the Antikythera mechanism are kept at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens
Hublot Antikythera Mechanism (live pics) by Kyle Stults on March 10, 2012
Pinit
Baselworld 2012: After grabbing some spy shots of Hublot’s mysterious Antikythera device then under development in July 2011 (and two follow up stories (HERE and HERE), I finally have the actual Antikythera watch which has been presented by Hublot at Baselworld 2012. Fashioned in a minimalistic square-ish Titanium case, to keep all the focus the mechanism, the Antikythera watch has forged a link between Hublot and it’s futuristic vision and manufacturing techniques, with an epoch that predates modern technology. The Antikythera’s mystery lies in the fact that according to traditional historians and archeologists, our ancestors believed that the earth was flat and was located in the center of the universe. The original Antikythera mechanism however demonstrates that our ancestors in fact had a vast knowledge of the cosmos, and knew that the Earth was round and orbited the sun, and that the moon orbited the earth in an elliptical orbit. While the pieces will not be sold to the public, 4 examples will be made, 3 to be housed in different museums around the world, and one to be sold at a fundraising auction to be announced soon. For more information on the workings of the watch, please revisit my aforementioned stories (above).
One year on from the launch of the “Tribute to the Antikythera Mechanism” at the Archaeological Museum of Athens, Hublot presents the “Antikythera SunMoon” watch, featuring highly precise Sun and Moon indications. This will be produced in a limited edition of 20 pieces, featuring a simplified and miniaturised version of the original mechanism, in honour of this masterpiece of antiquity. Hublot views the recreation of the Antikythera Mechanism as an important contribution to the history of time and this is basically a tribute piece in furtherance of that. This is a very complex mechanism and I’m not going to get into the particulars right now (I’ll post some background info below).
In short, the movement contains 295 components and 7 complications (compared to 495 components and 14 functions for the Hublot calibre exhibited at the Museum of Athens). All of the indications are found on the dial side.
The Antikythera SunMoon includes both a solar and a lunar calendar, as well as an indication showing the sidereal position of the Sun and the Moon. This means that, as well as being able to read the time (hours and minutes), the wearer of this watch can ascertain, for a given day and with extreme accuracy, the phase of the Moon, or more specifically its shape in the sky, the name of the constellation behind the Moon and the time required for the Moon to pass through a constellation. For the same day, the watch shows the constellation located behind the Sun and indicates the time required for the Sun to pass through a constellation. The piece is completed by a flying tourbillon (without ball bearing) which rotates once every minute toindicate the seconds, with the hours and minutes shown by traditional hands at the centre of the movement on the dial side.
Antikythera Mechanism Background
The Antikythera mechanism is one of the most mysterious objects in the history of civilisation. Discovered in Greek waters in 1901, it is considered the first “astronomical calculator” in the history of humanity, and dates back to the 2nd century BC(sometime between 150 and 100 BC.).
On the 5th April 2012, all of the original remains of the ship, the treasure and the Antikythera Mechanism were brought together in a single exhibition at the prestigious National Archaeological Museum of Athens, and unveiled in the presence of the Greek Minister for Culture. It was a significant event for the international archaeological and scientific communities. Among the objects being exhibited was the “Tribute to the Antikythera Mechanism” watch, a complex horological movement developed by Hublot as a tribute to the first “astronomical calculator” in the history of humanity, and probably dating back to the 2nd century BC. It was the first time that a watchmaking manufacture had had its work exhibited in a museum.
Hublot only produced four movements, each an exact miniature replica of the original mechanism: The first is on display at the Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts and Crafts) in Paris, the second at the National Museum of Athens and the third is held by Hublot in recognition of the craftsmanship and ingenuity of its own engineers and watchmakers. The fourth will be sold at a unique auction in 2014
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Patek Philippe caliber 89 is the watch with the most complication in the world. Patek Philippe the modern day Antikythera mechanism
Patek Philippe Calibre 89
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Patek Philippe Calibre 89
The Patek Philippe Calibre 89 is a commemorative pocket watch created in 1989, to celebrate the company's 150th anniversary. Declared by Patek Philippe as "the most complicated watch in the world", it weighs 1.1 kg, exhibits 24 hands and has 1,728 components in total, including a thermometer and a star chart. Made from 18 carat (75%) gold, it has an estimated value of $6 million, and took 5 years of research and development, and 4 years to manufacture. Four watches were made; one in white gold, one in yellow gold, one in rose gold and one in platinum.
Complications (Features)[edit] Day of the month 12-hour recorder Day of the week Hour of second time-zone Moon phase display Winding crown position indicator Century decade and year displays Leap Year Indicator Power reserve Month Thermometer Date of Easter Time of sunrise Equation of time Star chart Sun hand Time of sunset Split second hand
Specifications[edit] Total diameter 89 mm Total thickness 41 mm Total weight 1100 grams
832 finished parts make up this special Breguet. As a self winding Grand Complication, function include a Repeater, (Hours, Quarters, and Minute), Perpetual Calendar, Equation of Time, Jump Hour, and Power Reserve indicator
Marie-Antoinette Grande Complication pocket-watch – N° 1160
Marie-Antoinette was driven by a truly passionate desire for Breguet watches. Keen to possess any auspicious novelty, she had acquired a number of timepieces, including a «perpétuel» watch embellished with a self-winding device developed by Breguet. In 1783, one of her admirers ordered from the workshops in the Quai de l’Horloge, the most spectacular watch possible, incorporating the entire body of horological science of the time, as a gift to the queen. The order specified that gold should, wherever possible, be used instead of other metals, and that the complications should be both multiple and varied. Unconstrained by limitations of cost or time, Breguet had a free hand.
Nicolas G. Hayek presenting the Breguet n° 1160 – The presentation case – The new «Marie-Antoinette»
Breguet – The Breguet n° 1160, known as the «Marie-Antoinette»
The queen never had the opportunity to admire the timepiece. It was not completed until 1827, 34 years after her death, 44 years after it was ordered and four years after the death of the founder. Breguet n° 160, known as the «Marie-Antoinette», entered into watchmaking legend from 1783. Its extreme complexity, its roots and its story, as fabulous as it is epic, have haunted the watchmaking landscape and the minds of collectors for more than two centuries. More recently, its destiny shrouded in mystery – stolen from a Jerusalem museum and lost for decades – has written a new page in the saga.
In 2005, Nicolas G. Hayek set himself the challenge of reproducing it identically. He then heard about the fate of the oak of the palace of Versailles, the queen’s favourite tree, which had to be felled, and decided to give it a second life by fashioning from its wood the presentation case of the watch. Versailles offered the tree to Montres Breguet which, as a token of its gratitude committed itself to the restoration of the Marie-Antoinette domain. Just when the manufacture of the watch reached its end in 2007, the spoils of the 1983 robbery suddenly appeared as if by magic in Jerusalem. The saga continues. Montres Breguet has to date not yet had the opportunity to inspect them.
Today presented in Basel, the queen of watches reveals a host of complications. Research among the archives and original drawings from the Breguet Museum and from other high institutions of culture like the Musée des Arts et Métiers (arts and crafts museum) in Paris, are the only available sources of information. Comparative examinations of contemporary antique watches, notably the Duc de Praslin watch, have revealed new factors concerning the styling and watchmaking techniques of the period. The research has brought to light skills that have today vanished and has enabled the manufacturing company to produce a timepiece that is in every respect faithful to its predecessor.
Reproducing and designing such a large number of complications on the sole basis of documents is against the odds and reveals the talent of the watchmakers at Montres Breguet. Each function and every decorative feature was minutely analysed. In the coachwork of the watch for example, the yellow gold of the 63mm-diameter case was cast in a special, more coppery alloy in order to match the period hue. The glasses for the dial and the case, made of rock crystal, allow the movement to display its finery and the marvels of its finish. The research has moreover brought to light a complication of the original watch: jumping hours.
As a self-winding watch with a minute-repeater striking the hours, quarters and minutes on demand, the new «Marie-Antoinette» has all the makings of a work of art. A full perpetual calendar displays the dates, the day and the months respectively at 2 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 8 o’clock. The equation of time at 10 o’clock proclaims the daily difference between solar time and the mean time told by watches. In the centre, the jumping hours – invented by Breguet – and the minutes are joined by a long independent seconds hand, while the small seconds are shown at 6 o'clock. The 48-hour power-reserve indicator 10:30 balances a bimetallic thermometer at 01:30.
The self-winding, «perpétuel» movement comprises 823 outstandingly finished components. The baseplates and bridges, the smallest gear-wheels in the trains for the underdial work, the dates and the repeater are fashioned in pink gold polished with wood. The screws are in polished blued steel; the points of friction, holes and bearings, set with sapphires. The smallest details demonstrate perfect execution and have been finished by hand. This masterly and unprecedented mechanism is furthermore fitted with a particular type of natural-lift escapement, a helical balance-spring in gold and a bimetallic balance-wheel. The anti-shock device – a double «pare chute», another Breguet invention – gives protection against blows and shocks to the balance staff and to the shafts of the winding weights.
This masterpiece fit for a queen rests in a precious presentation box made of more than 3500 pieces sculpted from the wood of the royal oak. It encloses a lavishly crafted inlay work of more than a thousand pieces of wood depicting the hand of Marie-Antoinette holding her rose – a detail inspired by the famous portrait of the queen. The outside of the box faithfully reproduces the parquet flooring of the Petit Trianon.
Nicolas G. Hayek in front of the Petit Trianon at Versailles
Breguet – Nicolas G. Hayek in front of the Petit Trianon at Versailles
to be unveiled. Well, today, October 13th is the day that makes Patek 175 yrs old. So wait no more. There are several new watches I’ll get to in due course, but for now let’s start with this, the flagship of the 175th anniversary collection: the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175. This is a 1,366-part grand complication including a grand and petite sonnerie, perpetual calendar and more — 20 complications in all. Oh, and thanks to its swiveling, ornately engraved case, the watch is fully reversible — you can wear either side up. 7 pieces will be made, and 6 of them will be sold — at a price of 2.5 million Swiss Francs apiece. Believe it. The Grandmaster Chime is a watch unlike any in existence.
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Mena: Watches and clocks have Egyptian symbolism. The hour hand is name after the Egyptian sun God Horus, the minute hand is name after the moon God Min, the second hand is name after the God or planet Mercury aka Hermes aka Tehuti. The watch dial represent the wheel of the zodiac.
The watch for very deep pockets Searching desperately for an affordable pocket watch? Look away now
Cartier is limiting production of the Grand Complication Skeleton to just ten watches, with a further five to be made in white gold with set diamonds. The Roman numerals around the edge are machined from a single piece of white gold. The chain is also made from white gold. It has a hand-wound movement with perpetual calendar and chronograph, activated by the button on the top
If your New Year’s resolution was to smarten up, but you think that three-piece suit you bought in the sales is a little bland by itself, then we’ve got just the thing: Cartier’s Grand Complication Skeleton pocket watch.
Or maybe not. While this elegant white-gold timepiece is undoubtedly a thing of beauty, there are a number of compelling reasons why you might want to have a moment’s pause before reaching for your chequebook.
First, you’ve got to wind it up all the time (every eight days to be precise).
And don’t overwind, because you wouldn’t want to bust a spring. Not at this price...
When not being carried around, the watch can be hung from the silver hook on this rather imposing rock crystal stand, which comes with the watch
Second, it’s got a tourbillon, a fancy bit of horological wizardry that counteracts the effects of gravity on the mechanism – be honest, is that something that’s really troubled you before? – and adds noughts to the price tag.
Third, it’s big: 59mm in diameter. It’s going to feel like quite a lump in your jacket pocket. And it’s a limited-edition.
And they always cost a bit more... And finally, that price. Just so you know we’re not joking, we’ve written this one out: five-hundred-thousand euros (which currently converts to about £415,000).
Still interested? Then the CFO at Cartier is looking forward to your call...
5 Advanced Ancient Technologies That Shouldn't Be Possible
By Aatif Zubair, Ivan Farkas September 19, 2014 1,197,006 views Viral
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Modern humans are the best humans. Just look back at those primitive troglodytes from hundreds of years ago: what a bunch of idiots. Probably don't even know how to work an iPhone. Truly, we are superior in every way, save for beard-growing abilities. Or are we? Historians are digging up evidence that indicates some ancient humans had their **** together in ways modern humanity can still barely manage. Just look at ...
#5. The Magical Roman Technicolor Cup
Lucas Livingston
The Lycurgus Cup is an Ancient Roman goblet kicking around at the Smithsonian. You might wonder what could possibly be so technologically advanced about a cup (does it shimmy over to the fridge and fill itself with beer?). Scientists didn't notice anything special about it either, until they held it up to the light. You see, it looks green when lit from the front:
Johnbod, via Wikipedia
No hellish scenes of the suffering damned here!
But when lit from behind, it turns a demonic red:
Sailko, via Wikipedia
There we go.
In 1990, British researchers tried to unlock the mystery of the devil's beer stein. What they found was that the glass was full of gold and silver flecks 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. Basically, the Romans discovered nanotechnology -- the science of manipulating incredibly small particles -- and used it to make a bitchin' pimp cup.
Via Wikimedia
"Veni, Vidi, VEYOTCHHH!"
To make the cup, they would have had to grind up gold and silver into grains many times smaller than sand and fuse it to the glass in specific proportions to produce subatomic effects that we're only just beginning to understand in recent decades.
For some reason, the scientists weren't allowed to take this millennia-old relic and fill it with Tang and tequila (That's a TnT, and we heartily recommend it) just to see what happened. So they did their best to replicate it and found that it would probably also have changed colors based on what kind of liquid was poured into it. It's a Hypercolor chalice! What's more, it's even more effective at detecting different kinds of substances in water than modern sensors are, which means that science is actually considering using a piece of technology from the time of Caesar to improve modern substance detectors. The Ancient Romans were so good at getting drunk that they broke the science of the future.
4. Viking Compasses Nearly as Good as GPS
MR1805/iStock/Getty Images
Navigating the ocean back in ancient times was extremely tricky, given that they didn't have GPS, compasses, or even shuffleboard on those rickety old cruise ships. If you wanted to go from, say, Europe to the Americas back then, you were just as likely to crash into Madagascar since all that water looks the same out there. Scientists were puzzled about how the Vikings were consistently able to travel in a totally straight line from Norway to Greenland and back, some 1,600 miles, while the rest of the world was rowing around in circles, too proud to ask the passing mermaids for directions. Then, in 1948, they found an ancient Viking artifact under an 11th-century convent and concluded it was a shockingly advanced compass.
Proceedings of the Royal Society
Why anyone would be in a rush to get to Greenland, however, remains a mystery.
Before magnetic compasses, ancient mariners had to find their way using sundials, which told time and direction by shining a shadow onto a disc. As you can imagine, at night or even on a cloudy day, they were about as useful as reading tea leaves and sacrificing a goat to Odin. But the Viking compass, known as the Uunartoq disc, had ways of getting around that. On top of being an amazingly sophisticated sundial with several shadow sticks to work out the cardinal directions, medieval records of the device refer to a "magic" crystal that enabled it to work even when the sun wasn't available. And while we're still jaded enough to put "magic" in sarcastic quotes, researchers believe that a certain kind of crystal placed in the device could have created a pattern on the disc when exposed to even dim light, which they could have used to find their way.
Andrew J Shearer/iStock/Getty Images
A Global Pillaging System.
Upon testing, scientists found less than 4 degrees of error, which is comparable to modern compasses. Even with these results, we still don't know everything about the compass or if it was even more accurate, since half of it was missing when we uncovered it. In any case, we can confidently state the ancient Vikings at least had Apple Maps beat
[IMG]4. Viking Compasses Nearly as Good as GPS [/IMG]
3. Massive Drills and Natural Gas Pipelines in Ancient China
fpdress/iStock/Getty Images
Salt was a highly valuable resource in the ancient world, both as a preservative before refrigeration and as the only weapon keeping the slug people away. But when you live in a country as big as China, you can't necessarily make a trip out to the beach to collect some seawater. Because Safeway wouldn't be invented for another couple of thousand years, the Chinese had no choice but to dig down into the ground in search of that savory white gold.
And we don't mean they were really good with shovels. The Chinese invented a huge drill consisting of a length of bamboo with an iron bit at the end, which several men would use to excavate deep wells into the Earth. They may have looked comically unsafe, but by the 3rd century their salt wells reached as far down as 460 feet into the ground.
Via PVI Software
"Do you want to be the one to tell the emperor why Margarita Thursday was canceled? Then move your ass."
Their drilling methods weren't just ingenious, they were also sophisticated. They designed a whole catalog of drill tips for different circumstances, and even had a protocol for repairing cave-ins underground from the safety of the surface.
Zhong, Haung/Witcle Offset Printing
Or as safe as the area above a sinkhole being repaired with bamboo and reeds can get.
These bore-holes also released methane pockets, and so were dubbed "fire wells." But an initially explosive problem became an asset as the Chinese realized they could use this natural gas to power their prehistoric appliances. They transported the gas through a far-reaching series of bamboo pipelines which would carry both the saltwater and the gas great distances, including under roads. Sure, we have natural gas pipelines in the modern world too. But we don't have a tap that pours hot and cold running salt. Point: Ancient China.
2. Ancient Metal Plating (That's Still Better Than Ours)
Anaga Elsa, via Wikimedia
We know that people of the middle ages and earlier had the ability to coat materials with thin films of metal like gold and silver. In fact, their methods functioned even better than the ones we use today. We still haven't caught up to the middle ages. But it gets better: the Iron Pillar is a column in the Qutb Complex of Delhi. It was built around A.D. 400 and enjoys thoroughly mocking archaeologists and metallurgists, because it's 1,600 years old and it has not corroded yet. Compare that to your 1994 Ford Festiva and you might start to see what an accomplishment that truly is.
Mark A. Wilson, via Wikipedia
Another important difference is that India doesn't keep their pillar full of old receipts and Burger King wrappers.
Studies of the Iron Pillar show that its composition is unusually high in phosphorous, which seems to have shielded the metal underneath from the ravages of nature. It basically nurtures a thin film of harmless rust that gets metallic Stockholm Syndrome and fights off deeper, more damaging rust. That's not an accident: earlier iron works are lacking that phosphorous, while several later structures were forged in the same fashion.
That's right: ancient Indians bought the undercoating, and it's still paying off millennia later
1. The Ancient Greeks Built Programmable Robots
New Scientist
If you're looking for evidence that time travel exists, you really can't do better than Heron of Alexandria ("Hero," if you're nasty). We've mentioned before that he was responsible for the first steam engine, as well as automatic doors, and even a robot show back in the first century -- but those weren't even his most impressive feats. Researchers now credit him for the first goddamn programmable robot.
New Scientist
Listen closely and you can hear it muttering "Destroy all humans" in Ancient Greek.
It might seem silly to call what Hero (we're apparently nasty) built a "robot," considering it was a wooden three-wheeled cart powered by string instead of electricity. But using a system of timed weights and pulleys, the thing could move by itself, turn corners, and hopefully sass nearby humans. Despite its crudeness, computer scientists say that this is basically the way that all robots operate. It's just Hero's "strings of code" were literal strings. They even built one to show that it works and wasn't just the product of Hero's fevered imagination:
Hero didn't actually do much with it besides entertain the masses and hopefully get a little strange now and then. At least, as far as we know. Maybe we're all stuck in some kind of Ancient Greek Matrix right now, and the world we think we know is just an elaborate knitting project designed to keep us docile.
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[IMG]Math and Science Week![/IMG] His Musical Robot Band. [x]
[IMG]His Musical Robot Band. [x][/IMG] His Wine-Pouring Machine.
[IMG]His Wine-Pouring Machine.[/IMG] His Castle Clock
[IMG]His Castle Clock[/IMG] His Hand-Washing Automaton With Flush Mechanism
[IMG]His Hand-Washing Automaton With Flush Mechanism[/IMG] His… uh… Table Device? I have no idea what this was for, actually
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