Back to Events
Antikythera Mechanism
An ancient Greek computer found in a shipwreck. It predicted eclipses and tracked celestial bodies with 30+ bronze gears. Nothing this sophisticated would be built for another 1,500 years.
150 - 100 BCE
Antikythera, Greece
100+ witnesses
The Antikythera Mechanism is the world’s oldest known analog computer.
The Discovery
Found in 1901:
- In a Roman-era shipwreck
- Off Antikythera island
- Later recognized as extraordinary
The Device
The mechanism:
- 30+ bronze gear wheels
- Predicted eclipses
- Tracked planetary positions