The Antikythera Computer describes a 2000(+) year-old device discovered in the remains of a Greek shipwreck that looks to have operated through a technically advanced (relative to the time it was created) interaction of gears and levers. It is theorized the machine was used as a calendar device. It is described by some as an early version of a computer, in that it's gears were used and manipulated to help compute specific calendar functions and lunar / solar positions.
External Links[]
- Early Astronomical ‘Computer’ Found to Be Technically Complex from the New York Times
- Ancient machine opened the heavens from the Los Angeles Times
- Imaging the Antikythera Computer from WIRED's Gear Factor
- 2,000 Year Old Computer Yields Her Secrets from WIRED's Gear Factor