ated in degrees of the zodiac (this is, incidentally, the 

 oldest engraved scale known, and micrometric 

 measurements on photographs have indicated a maxi- 

 mum inaccuracy of about '2° in the 45° jiresent). 



Unfortunately, the very difhciili task of cleaning 

 the fragments is slow, and no publication has yet given 

 suflicient detail for an adequate explanation of this 

 object. One can only say that although the probleins 



Figure 7. — Antikythera Machine, Two Smaller 

 Fragments. (Pholo courtesy of National Museum, 

 Athens.) 



of restoration and mechanical analysis are peculiarly 

 great, this must stand as the most important scientific 

 artifact preserved from antiquity. 



Some technical details can be gleaned however. 

 The shape of the gear teeth appears to be almost 

 exactly equilateral triangles in all cases (fig. 8), and 

 square shanks may be .seen at the centers of some 

 of the wheels. Xo wheel is C|uite complete enough 

 for a count of sear iceih, but a provisional reconstruc- 

 tion by Theophanidis (hi?. 9) has shown that the ap- 

 pearances are consistent wiih (lie theory that the 



PAPER 6: CI.DCKWORK, I'KRI'KTLAL .\10 IIU.N DliXICtiS, AND IlIK COMP.VSS 



93 



