The Antikythera Mechanism

Has anyone heard of the antikythera mechanism? It is an ancient computer, thought to have been built between 150-100 BC. It was found in the early 1900s and is extremely complex and advanced, especially for its time. Research is still being done on the piece, but it seems to be for calculating certain astronomical figures.

I recently ran across something that mentioned it and thought I would look it up. It really is an intriguing device due to its complexity and function- it actually uses technology that is comparable to that developed during the 14th century.

some more info: http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/whatsnew/column/antikytheraI-0400/kyth1.html

Any theories on it?

deanhills said:

I have not heard of it before, but it does sound very exciting. I imagine that this must have been used for navigation. Wonder how the ship got to be wrecked. Perhaps someone was pursuing it, as it is amazing it got shipwrecked in between Crete and the Mainland. Probably good material for another Da Vinci type thriller?

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I was reading about it yesterday and while the reason for why it was on the ship isn't completely known, their is a hypothesis that the Romans may have been transporting it as spoils of war when something happened to the ship. In that case, it might not have been for use on a ship.

Certainly does sound like something Dan Brown would use