The Freedman Fellows Presentation Series continues Nov. 16 with a talk titled “The Inscriptions on the Antikythera Mechanism,” led by Freedman Fellow Paul Iversen.
Iversen, an associate professor of classics, will discuss two new technologies he is using to read the inscriptions incised on the Antikythera Mechanism, a device considered to be the first analog computer.
The Antikythera Mechanism, which dates back to the first or second century BCE, was found in 1901 amongst the remnants of a shipwreck. The mechanism is capable of computing and displaying information such as lunar phases, the rising and setting of stars and constellations, the lunisolar calendar of northwestern Greece and Panhellenic festivals including the Olympic games.
To read the inscriptions, Iversen is using Computed Tomography (CT) scans, generated by a technology called Micro-Focus x-rays, and photographic images, which employ a technology known as Polynomial Texture Mapping (PTMs).
Often overlooked, virtual reality (VR) panoramas, VR objects and 3-D/stereoscopic photography are easy and exciting ways to enhance and add a virtual element to most new media projects. Co-presenter Jared Bendis, creative new media officer at Kelvin Smith Library, will give a step-by-step guide on the tools and techniques used to create these media elements and also outline how to best integrate them into a project.
The event will take place on Friday, Nov. 16, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Clark Hall 206. The presentation is free and open to the public. Pizza and beverages will be provided.
The Freedman Fellows Program is a partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences and Kelvin Smith Library. This program aims to identify and support scholarly research of faculty at Case Western Reserve University. Awards are granted to faculty to sustain projects that are currently active, hold scholarly or instructional value, integrate the use of digital tools, and have clear project outcomes in support of digital scholarship.
To learn more about the Freedman Fellows Program and its recipients, visit: library.case.edu/ksl/freedmancenter/specialprograms/fellows.