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+--- Thread: Antikythera Mechanism: 5 things you didn't know about the 'world's 1st computer' (/thread-3698.html)
Antikythera Mechanism: 5 things you didn't know about the 'world's 1st computer' - C C - May 24, 2017
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/what-is-the-antikythera-mechanism-computer-world-first-google-doodle-astronomy-greek-analog-athletic-a7740026.html
EXCERPT: Today's Google Doodle marks the 115th anniversary of the unearthing of the Antikythera Mechanism, a device used by the Ancient Greeks to chart the progress of the planets across the zodiac. The relic is often described as the world’s first computer and has a fascinating history. The contraption would have been employed by early astronomers to mark the calendar and anticipate solar and lunar eclipses by following the movement of the sun, moon and planets. It was also used to plot the four-year cycle for scheduling athletics tournaments similar to the Olympic Games. A complex piece of machinery, the mechanism consists of 30 meshing components and dials and is housed inside a box of wood and bronze. It is thought to have been assembled on the island of Rhodes as long ago as 150 BC, possibly with contributions from the great Greek astronomer Hipparchus....
MORE: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/what-is-the-antikythera-mechanism-computer-world-first-google-doodle-astronomy-greek-analog-athletic-a7740026.html