A corroded Greek device recovered from a shipwreck tracked astronomical cycles with complex gears.

2 sources Jul 2, 2026

The Antikythera mechanism is often described as the world’s oldest known analog computer.

Recovered from a shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera, the device used intricate bronze gears to model astronomical cycles and predict events such as eclipses.

Its craftsmanship shows that ancient engineering could be far more mechanically sophisticated than the surviving record once suggested.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
  2. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Antikythera-mechanism