In 1901, a group of divers found the remains of a ship that had sunk off the coast of Greece in the 1st century, and among the wreckage was a strange bronze mechanism that has intrigued researchers since its discovery: the Antikythera Machine.
Now, scientists say they have discovered how the mysterious two-thousand-year-old artifact, considered the “world’s first computer”, worked.
Previously, researchers had already deciphered what the Antikythera Machine was for. The mechanism had astronomical functions, being used to predict the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets, as well as eclipses. Despite this, it was still unknown how this primitive computer worked.
astronomical computer
In 1901, a group of divers found the remains of a ship that had sunk off the coast of Greece in the 1st century, and among the wreckage was a strange bronze mechanism that has intrigued researchers since its discovery: the Antikythera Machine.
Now, scientists say they have discovered how the mysterious two-thousand-year-old artifact, considered the “world’s first computer”, worked.
Previously, researchers had already deciphered what the Antikythera Machine was for. The mechanism had astronomical functions, being used to predict the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets, as well as eclipses. Despite this, it was still unknown how this primitive computer worked.
astronomical computer
