The first fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism were pulled from a Roman-era shipwreck in 1901. Since the discovery, scientists and historians have continued to look for more artifacts from the wreck while also trying to piece together the story of what is often considered the world's first computer.
The ancient Greeks may have used a bronze calculator to track the positions of the sun and the moon. The first complete digital model of the Cosmos panel was created in 2021. They found a well-preserved skeleton of a young man that may be part of the crew of the sunken boat. Scientists have continued to decipher the inscriptions on the metal fragments. Scientists have uncovered information about a mysterious device.
The Archaeological Museum in Athens has a piece of the Antikythera Mechanism. Scientists found that ancient people would have been helped by the contraption.
This computer reconstruction shows the Antikythera mechanism, which was about the size of a shoebox and had a system of 30 or so bronze gear wheels inside. Scientists have used various technologies to piece together the machine after it was found in several fragments. A user of this computer could have turned a hand crank and tracked the positions of the sun and the moon, the lunar phases, and even cycles of Greek athletic competition.
In September of 2014, scientists explored the Antikythera shipwreck, looking for sunken statues, gold jewelry and other ancient artifacts lost in the Agean Sea. The operator was able to descend hundreds of feet below the surface of the Aegean Sea using the Exosuit.
Phil Short piloted the Exosuit near the end of the mission.
Scientists found a spear during the dive. The researchers said that the spear was too heavy and large to be a functional weapon 2,000 years ago.
An archaeologist swims over artifacts at the site. A lot of artifacts have been found. 50 objects were pulled up from the depths as part of a scientific excavation.
During the mission in 2014, divers used rebreather technology, which recycles air. The technology allowed the divers to stay underwater for up to three hours at a time. The lagynos was used to pour wine.
fragment 19 is a piece of the device. Researchers could create a much clearer visualization of the Antikythera inscription using a technique called PTM. Different lighting conditions can be used to reveal surface details on artifacts that are otherwise hidden.
University College London reported in 2021 that they used ancient calculations to recreate the design of the Antikythera mechanism. Will it work? They hope to piece together their own contraption based on the design. The mechanism should chart the movement of a heavenly body.
If the mechanism had been pulled apart 2,000 years ago, it would have looked like this.
It was originally published on Live Science.
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