An Animated Introduction to the Antikythera Mechanism: The World’s First Analog Computer from Ancient Greece

From TED-Ed comes an animated introduction to the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient Greek device that dates back to the 2nd century BCE. TED writes: “In 1900, Greek divers stumbled upon a 2,000-year-old shipwreck whose contents would shake our understanding of the ancient world. Among the remains were fragments of mangled wood and corroded metal, which archaeologists soon realized were parts of the oldest geared device ever discovered — and humankind’s first computer. So, how did it work?” Above, science journalist Max G. Levy explains the inner workings of the Antikythera Mechanism and how the Greeks put the device to use.

For those who want to take a deeper dive into this ancient analog computer (there’s a lot more to learn), we invite you to explore the titles in the Relateds section below. They’ll take you deeper into this marvel of ancient engineering.

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How the Ancient Greeks Invented the First Computer: An Introduction to the Antikythera Mechanism (Circa 87 BC)