RECONSTRUCTING THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM’S CENTRAL FRONT DIAL PARTS – DIVISION AND PLACEMENT OF THE ZODIAC DIAL RING

In this paper we analyze, discuss and present the design of the Antikythera Mechanism’s central front parts. Based on the aligned and visual images of the same scale of Fragment C front/back face and X-ray CT scans, we designed and reconstructed in bronze, the four independent parts comprising the central front dial. We then correlated the zodiac dial ring with 365 equal subdivisions/days and we investigated the number of days per astronomical season and per zodiac month. Then, we adopted a specific number of equal subdivisions/days per zodiac month and we engraved these on the bronze zodiac month ring. The different number of days per zodiac month created 12 unequal central angles on the zodiac dial ring and therefore the solar anomaly and the unequal time span of the astronomical seasons were well represented on the Antikythera Mechanism. In this way, the functionality of the central front dial of the Mechanism was achieved by adopting the minimum number of hypotheses.