Antikythera Mechanism: The ancient 'computer' that simply shouldn't exist - BBC REEL

A hundred and twenty years ago, divers discovered a shipwreck off the island of Antikythera in Greece. What they found changed our understanding of human history.

The mysterious Antikythera Mechanism has captured the imagination of archaeologists, mathematicians, and scientists ever since, even inspiring the plot for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny! Now, using the latest 3D x-ray and modelling technology, experts are unravelling the secrets of what this machine may have been capable of.

Video by Harriet Constable

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[keesdevreugd]

It's a bit unsettling to realize that advanced tech will not necessarily prevent a civilization to fall. And that when a civilization falls, its technological knowledge just will be forgotten.

[LowLifeAM]

I can imagine the greek dude who made it talking to the ship captain like:
"This is a never before seen invention that will revolutionize how the world sees the stars, it can even predict eclipses. So please, for the sake of scientific advancement, don't sink."
"Yeah, like that's gonna happen."

[crazyspace]

I remember doing a report on it when I was in middle school. I emailed the head researcher with some questions and he graciously answered all of them.

[HomerSimpson-tvyu]

Imagine how devastating it was to lose this in the shipwreck back in the day.

[zoinomiko]

What's extra amazing is how small and delicate this device is - I went to Athens just to see it and was blown away. The craftsmanship and mathematics required to create such a thing is astounding.

[jamesd]

Just goes to show our ancestors had the same brains we do, capable of astonishing achievements and great leaps forward. Present day arrogance needs to be seen in this light.

[sherparoyale]

While the Antikythera is clearly a marvel, I’m impressed with how far 3D Xray has come that we’ve been able to uncover all the mechanisms and inscriptions!

[ez]

YouTube is like the coolest library ever

[monsieurcondottiero]

It really makes me wonder where we would be as a civilization if we never lost so much ancient knowledge. a gear based calculating machine was literally millennia ahead of its time, losing this technology might have actually set us back centuries

[oksyar]

That's exactly what I've always thought about history that in those days, very advanced technologies were made and then after a generation or two, lost completely simply because of lack of communication and lack of storing information. Now imagine how many great minds would have come into being and gone without leaving any footprint.

[BobEstremera]

This generates so many questions: how did they cut and assemble the tiny, clock-like gears? Why didn't this technology lead to other, similar devices and 'calculators'? Why haven't more been found?

[pks]

The mechanism could've been invented by some group and was kept classified which may explain why nobody wrote about it despite possibly having more than one device in existence.

What's scary is that we might have the same thing going on today. Someone out there in the world may have invented a device that is completely out of our time, and none of us know about it besides them.

[JonathanXLindqviust]

03:10 for those wondering why they'd fly the huge x-ray machine and not the booksized object, it's because despite astronomically small chances of a planecrash or a ship sinking, there's plenty of x-rays in the world but only one single known object like this.

[alphonseelric]

Imagine how many such artifacts are still undiscovered! And has impact on our understanding of ancient world!

[captain_commenter]

I like that the inventor of the mechanism gave his invention a built-in instruction manual, extremely thoughtful 😂😂😂

[bigbadword]

Being able to manufacture such a devise is almost as impressive as the devise itself.

[adamhill]

I think it is totally conceivable that we will have another dark age. How many of us really know how to create and maintain the technology around us.

[painpeace]

The way professor is telling the story, is mind blowing.

[arthurdixon]

Amazing. Thank all for working on this find.

[SilverSquirrel]

120 years ago that was still the most advanced computer on earth.