The Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient scientific calculator made of bronze, had over 30 gears and served as a clock, showing the day, zodiac sign, moon phase, and positions of the stars, sun, and moon. It was discovered in 1901 and its function was understood around 2006. It may have originated in Rhodes or Corinth and is compared to an 18th-century clock. Other ancient texts mention similar devices, including a planetarium possessed by Roman consul Caius Sulpicius Gallus.
The Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient (150-100 BC) complex scientific calculator, often called the first mechanical computer. Made of bronze, the Antikythera mechanism has over 30 gears, interconnected with teeth made of equilateral triangles. It served as a clock that included the current day of the 365-day Egyptian calendar, the Greek sign of the zodiac, the phase of the moon, a parapegma (used to show the positions of the stars), and the positions of the Sun and Moon. Contemporary investigators speculate that this information could have been used to determine other astronomical facts, such as the location of Mars and Venus.
Originally discovered at the Antikythera Wreck, a wreck off the Greek island of Antikythera, between Kythera and Crete, the Antikythera Mechanism is heavily corroded by the sea. It was discovered in 1901 and only after more than a century of research – around 2006 – was its function well understood. The device’s complexity has been compared to that of an 18th-century clock, and nothing like it appears in the archaeological record until the Islamic Golden Age, some 18 years later.
Investigators of the Antikythera Mechanism have speculated that the ship probably sank during a voyage from Rhodes, a major island city in Greece, to Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire and the most important city in the world at the time. One hypothesis has suggested that the device may have been created in an academy founded by the Stoic philosopher Posidonius, who was known for his knowledge of astronomy and mechanical engineering. However, a more recent analysis (2008) suggests that the mechanism may have originated in Corinth, which would associate it with the famous inventor Archimedes.
Aside from the Antikythera Mechanism, there are several mentions of devices of similar complexity found in ancient texts such as Cicero’s De re publica from the 1st century BC, which describes elaborate planetary and other mechanisms created by Archimedes, and other surviving texts from the Library of Alexandria, which confirm the statements of Cicero. Caius Sulpicius Gallus, a Roman consul, is thought to have first brought knowledge of eclipses to Rome based on his possession and study of a sophisticated planetarium around the year 1 BC
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