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20 Dollars - Elizabeth II Posthumous, Antikythera Mechanism
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2023 |
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| Value | 20 Dollars |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a highly detailed and dramatically sculpted depiction of the Antikythera Mechanism, with a large central gear wheel and interlocking subsidiary gears rendered in raised gold-gilt relief against an antiqued silver field, faithfully evoking the corroded bronze gearing of the ancient Greek astronomical calculator. Surrounding the central mechanism, a broad annular border contains finely engraved scenes from classical antiquity in high relief, including mythological figures, athletes, warriors, chariots, and animals, separated by wavy bands suggestive of the sea. The outermost rim is adorned with a continuous Greek meander (key pattern) border punctuated by the date 20 23 divided on either side of the field. The legend ANTIKYTHERA arcs along the upper border and MECHANISM along the lower border, both in widely spaced Latin capitals. The multi-layered composition combines selective gold gilding with antiqued silver finishing to create a striking polychrome effect. |
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| Reverse lettering | ANTIKYTHERA 20 23 MECHANISM |
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| Additional information |
The Antikythera mechanism was recovered in 1901 from a Roman-era shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera, likely sunk between 70 and 60 BC. Its function went unrecognized for decades — it sat in the Athens National Archaeological Museum largely ignored until Derek de Solla Price's 1974 analysis established it as a geared astronomical calculator of extraordinary complexity, capable of predicting lunar phases, solar cycles, and Panhellenic athletic schedules.
No comparable geared mechanism appears in the archaeological record for another fourteen centuries.