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30 Surviving Gears Show the Antikythera Mechanism Was an Ancient Analog Computer | Ancient Origins
X-ray tomography (Freeth et al., Nature 2006, Scientific Reports 2021) shows the Antikythera mechanism, recovered in 1901 from a shipwreck dated to about 60 BCE, was a geared bronze calculator that predicted eclipses from Babylonian cycles. Woan and Bayley (Horological Journal, July 2024) found its calendar ring most likely had 354 or 355 holes. A 2025 preprint by Szigety and Arenas found the reported gear errors would jam it, likely because corrosion exaggerates them. Proposed start dates for its dials are 205 BC and 178 BC.
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