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Jo Marchant

Decoding the Heavens Hardcover – 6 Nov. 2008

by Jo Marchant (Author)

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In 1900 a group of sponge divers blown off course in the Mediterranean discovered an Ancient Greek shipwreck dating from around 70 BC. Lying unnoticed for months amongst their hard-won haul was what appeared to be a formless lump of corroded rock, which turned out to be the most stunning scientific artefact we have from antiquity. For more than a century this 'Antikythera mechanism' puzzled academics, but now, more than 2000 years after the device was lost at sea, scientists have pieced together its intricate workings. Unmatched in complexity for 1000 years, it was able to predict eclipses and track the paths of the Sun and the Moon through the zodiac, and probably even showed ancient astronomers the movements of the five known planets. In Decoding the Heavens, Jo Marchant tells for the first time the story of the 100-year quest to understand this ancient computer. Along the way she unearths a diverse cast of remarkable characters - ranging from Archimedes to Jacques Cousteau - and explores the deep roots of modern technology not only in ancient Greece but in the Islamic world and medieval Europe too.At heart an epic adventure story, it is a book that challenges our assumptions about technology transfer over the ages while giving us fresh insights into history itself.

Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

William Heinemann Ltd
Publication date

6 Nov. 2008
Dimensions

13.5 x 3.1 x 20.5 cm
ISBN-10

043401835X
ISBN-13

978-0434018352
See all details

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Product description

From the Inside Flap

In 1900 a group of sponge divers blown off course in the Mediterranean discovered an Ancient Greek shipwreck dating from around 70 BC. Lying unnoticed for months amongst their hard-won haul was what appeared to be a formless lump of corroded rock, which turned out to be the most stunning scientific artefact we have from antiquity. For more than a century this Antikythera mechanism puzzled academics, but now, more than 2000 years after the device was lost at sea, scientists have pieced together its intricate workings. Unmatched in complexity for 1000 years, it was able to predict eclipses and track the paths of the Sun and the Moon through the zodiac, and probably even showed ancient astronomers the movements of the five known planets.

In Decoding the Heavens, Jo Marchant tells for the first time the story of the 100-year quest to understand this ancient computer. Along the way she unearths a diverse cast of remarkable characters ranging from Archimedes to Jacques Cousteau and explores the deep roots of modern technology not only in ancient Greece but in the Islamic world and medieval Europe too. At heart an epic adventure story, it is a book that challenges our assumptions about technology transfer over the ages while giving us fresh insights into history itself.

From the Back Cover

Though it is more than 2,000 years old, the Antikythera Mechanism represents a level that our technology did not match until the 18th century, and must therefore rank as one of the greatest basic mechanical inventions of all time. I hope [this] book will rekindle interest in this artefact, which still remains under-rated. Arthur C. Clarke

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Heinemann Ltd; First Edition (6 Nov. 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 043401835X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0434018352
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.5 x 3.1 x 20.5 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,025,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 320 in Scientific Time Measurement
- 1,563 in History of Greece
- 1,654 in History of Engineering & Technology

Customer reviews:
74 ratings

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About the author

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Jo Marchant

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Jo Marchant is an author and journalist based in London. Her books tackle the story of humanity, from the wonders of ancient civilisations to the mysteries of our bodies and brains. Her upcoming book, The Human Cosmos (to be published in September 2020), tells the story of our intimate relationship with the night sky and the universe beyond.

Jo’s most recent book, the 2016 New York Times bestseller Cure: a journey into the science of mind over body, was shortlisted for the Royal Society science book prize, longlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize and named a book of the year by The Economist and The Sunday Times. Jo’s other books are The Shadow King: The bizarre afterlife of King Tut’s mummy (2013) and Decoding the Heavens: Solving the mystery of the world’s first computer (2009), which was also shortlisted for the Royal Society science book prize.

Jo trained as a scientist: she has a PhD in genetics and medical microbiology from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College in London, and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College London. She previously worked as a senior editor at New Scientist and at Nature, and her articles have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian and Smithsonian magazine.

Her radio and TV appearances include BBC Radio 4’s Start the Week and Today programmes, NPR’s Fresh Air, CNN and National Geographic. She has captivated audiences around the world, including at the World Science Festival in New York, the Royal Institution in London, Hay Festival, Edinburgh Science Festival, the Emirates Literature Festival in Dubai and the Dutch-Flemish Institute in Cairo.

Customer reviews

5 star		76%
4 star		11%
3 star		6%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

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Mr L.

Lack of technical detail ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2021

Verified Purchase

Not really decoding anything. Lack of technical detail that one would assume from the word “decoding”. No option to return it either !!! i thought that was bad.. The “Look inside” option only shows the table of contents and the index .. So you are forced to buy it and if you dont think its any good for you you cant return it !!!

One person found this helpful

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philogos

A good story that will whet the appetite for a more technical explanation

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 January 2018

Verified Purchase

This book focuses on the discovery and examination of the device rather than its technical details. As a story, I found it very readable, although it did seem to be a bit partisan. It doesn't have very much detail on the device itself - Wikipedia has more on the gearing and what the original might have looked like. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this as an introduction and I intend going on to take a more detailed look at the technology of the device.

One person found this helpful

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MKM

Reads Like a Detective Story.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2020

Verified Purchase

I was inspired to purchase this book after seeing a video of the author giving a lecture on the Antikythera device. I was particularly impressed by the fact that she didn't use any notes. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read on a subject that could become boring. I have no hesitation in giving it five stars.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 August 2013

Verified Purchase

A thoroughly entertaining book about one man's struggle to bring to the attention of the world the possibility that the ancient Greeks possessed a knowledge of celestial mathematics, which, if true, would mean that they were well in advance of what had previously been believed. Told as a detective story using the main character of a man employed by the Science Museum and battling against officialdom, the book is accessible to the layman as much as to the expert. As always, any criticism tends to be subjective, but I would have enjoyed more research about the use of mathematics in ancient times to help make it clear how sophisticated the world's first computer really was. A bit more contextualisation would have made a stronger book, in my opinion, but maybe it would have become too long for a publisher. Nevertheless, an well researched and fascinating account of how little we know about historical events because so much information has been lost over the centuries, and what surprises may still lie in store on the bottom of the Mediterranean.

2 people found this helpful

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IhateTV

What ever happend?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 May 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a well written book on the subject, if you are interested.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2020

Verified Purchase

Very satisfied with my purchase. Thank you

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eccomaggio

Engrossing, even if you know the story from the news

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 April 2016

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book, a well-told geeky mystery. As all the other reviews say, decent in-text illustrations would have given the book five stars.

One person found this helpful

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Mr

Bogged down in science

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 January 2013

Verified Purchase

Worthy but stuffy account of a fascinating discovery - but read it for the human interest too. My heart goes out to Michael Wright, the true hero of this book.

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Decoding the Heavens Hardcover – 6 Nov. 2008

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