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The world’s first computer long predates the monster machine of 1945. Like, by several thousand years.

If you couldn’t tell by the name alone, the Antikythera Mechanism was a device created by the ancient Greeks back in 100 BCE.

The machine was discovered in 1901 in a shipwreck off the coast of Antikythera, hence the name.

What Did It Look Like?

This mechanism, like much of the ancient world, was ahead of its time. Created out of bronze, and said to be around the size of a shoebox, containing around 30 gear wheels on a circular, wheel-like shape. The circumference of the device contained notches, indicating degrees. It likely looked like a really elaborate clock, with several rotating hands instead of just two. 

Ancient Greek covers the bronze sheet. With what little survived of the mechanism, scholars were able to decipher that this ancient computer served as a highly sophisticated calendar. It also clearly followed the astronomical year, with dials on the mechanism representing the zodiac, lunar phases, and the position of the sun and moon.

What surprised scholars the most about this mechanism is its sophistication. According to Britannica, “No other geared mechanism of such complexity is known from the ancient world or indeed until medieval cathedral clocks were built a millennium later.” 

A Mini Cosmos

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While the Antikythera mechanism definitely served a calendrical purpose, it's clear that it also served as a memory bank for recent astrological events.

Scholars believe that the main hand crank operated at least seven hands, representing the sun, moon, mercury, venus, mars, jupiter, and saturn.

The back of the device also had its own dial systems, pertaining to the lunar and solar eclipses.

There’s even a black and silver ball that rotated to indicate the moon’s phase.

What makes this device so sophisticated, however, is the incorporation of a slot and pin mechanism. The Greeks had to consider how planetary motions appeared to change, especially the moon, and implemented a system to mark when these changes occurred.

The Creator

As it currently stands, we have no idea who or where the Antikythera mechanism was created. A few inscriptions suggest it might’ve been made in Corinth, due to the particular spelling of months on the device.

Other scholars suggest that it was created on the Island of Rhodes, due to a dial that displayed annual festivals specific to the area. 

We also have no idea who, specifically, created the device. According to Smithsonian Magazine, the only hint we have at who could’ve possibly created this comes from the Roman statesman, Cicero. 

Smithsonian writes, “The ancient philosopher Posidonius had a workshop in Rhodes that could have been the source; according to Cicero, Posidonius made a similar model of the heavens in the first century B.C.”

Today, the Antikythera Mechanism is on display in the Athens National Archaeological Museum, and has a team of dedicated researchers who hope to one day fully understand the full scope of the world's first computer. You can look at the remains of the Antikythera Mechanism here.