The worlds first analog computer – Antikythera Mechanism – might’ve been more broken than brilliant
The Antikythera Mechanism — that ancient Greek gear-driven device often called the world’s first analog computer — might actually have been a dud, according to a new study that’s still waiting on peer review.
Found in a shipwreck off the coast of Greece and dated to around 60 BCE, this 2,000-year-old artifact has long been celebrated as a surprisingly advanced tool for tracking the movements of the sun, moon, and planets.
But after centuries underwater, a lot of the mechanism’s parts are corroded or missing, and this latest research suggests the problems might run deeper than just damage from time.
Researchers combined previous findings on the shape of the mechanism’s gear teeth and detailed CT scans revealing manufacturing flaws.
Turns out, those uneven teeth and sloppy spacing could have made the gears jam regularly, potentially stopping the whole thing dead in its tracks — sometimes before it could even complete a single cycle.
That leaves two options: either the device never fully worked, or the original was way more precise than the surviving pieces suggest.
Some experts think it might have been more of a teaching model than a precise calculator.
Bottom line? The Antikythera Mechanism might not have been the flawless ancient tech marvel we’ve imagined, but it’s still a fascinating glimpse into early engineering — just with a few more glitches than previously thought.
Check out the full study here.
