Two thousand years ago, Greek engineers constructed a unique mechanism which, after 25 years of study, was proven to be an astronomical instrument of great significance. A set of 30 different gears provided information about the movements of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets through the Zodiac.
It is the Antikythera Mechanism, the first computer in world history—a remarkable testimony to a major technological and mechanical achievement that reached its peak around 80 BCE with its construction.
Both this “computer” and its successor, the Byzantine clock/calendar, are examined and analysed here for the first time in the full extent of their influence. The study highlights the potential of a mechanical revolution during the Hellenistic period. The existence of these two mechanisms, which also contained a differential gear, marked the history of mechanical development for 2,000 years.
