After a century of study, scientists have unlocked the secrets of a mysterious 2,100-year-old device known as the "Antikythera mechanism," showing it to be a complex and uncannily accurate astronomical computer.
The mechanism, recovered in more than 80 highly corroded fragments from a sunken Roman ship, could predict the positions of the sun and planets, show the location of the moon and even forecast eclipses.
The international team of scientists reported today in the journal Nature that the first-century B.C. device, the earliest known example of an arrangement of gear wheels, shows a technological sophistication that was not seen again until clockwork mechanisms were introduced in the 14th century.
A computer over 2000 years old. What a story. Gives a person a little more respect for ancient peoples and what they were capable of.
Respect the masterpiece. It is true reverence to man. There is no quality so great, none so much needed now. Frank Lloyd Wright
