Did the ancient Greeks have computers?

hThe first modern working computer was created in 1956, and was the equivalent of a modern day hand calculator. However, it appears archeologists have now uncovered a “computer” that may well be over two thousand years old. Apparently created to calculate the movements of the stars and planets, several corroded cogs and gears from the Antikythera Mechanism was uncovered from a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901. Much more complex than other technology from that period, many consider the mechanism an anachronism, although several ancient texts mention similar devices as far back as the 3rd century B.C. This leads to the question of whether the Antikythera Mechanism is the first machine of its kind, or only the first discovered.

Regardless, researchers like Cardiff University’s Professor Michael Edmunds have been stunned by the mechanisms precision and engineering, "The design is beautiful, the astronomy is exactly right. The way the mechanics are designed just makes your jaw drop. Whoever has done this has done it extremely well.” Despite initial debates over the mechanism’s function, researchers have constructed a replica and found that the mechanism is capable of tracking the orbit of planets and even predicting eclipses. The Antikythera Mechanism is currently housed at the Greek National Archaeological Museum in Athens, while The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project continues to study this perplexing mechanism with new technologies hoping to unlock the mysteries of this unique treasure.

One last question regarding this amazing device needs to be answered: Why would a civilization over two thousands years ago need such an exacting way to predict the movement of the stars?

That is one of many questions The Seekers are committed to exploring.

Resources for further reading:
http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_4.htm
http://news.scotsman.com/world/Device-that-let-Greeks-decode.2831073.jp
www.TheSeekers.com