The Antikythera Mechanism is a 2,000-year-old "computer" from ancient Greece.
The Antikythera Mechanism is one of the most astounding archaeological finds in history. Discovered within the ruins of an ancient Greco-Roman shipwreck first found by sponge divers in 1900, it was brought to the surface the following year as part of the world’s first major underwater archeological excavation. At first, the mechanism — in dozens of corroded, greenish pieces of bronze — was more or less overlooked in favor of the many bronze and marble statues, coins, amphorae, and other intriguing items the shipwreck contained. But in the 1950s, science historian Derek J. de Solla Price took particular interest in the machine, convinced that it was in fact an ancient computer. In the early 21st century, advanced imaging techniques have proved Price correct.
Of course, this wasn’t a digital creation, but an analog computer, likely dating to around the first century BCE. Although only portions of the original device survive, scientists have been able to piece together its original function. About the size of a mantle clock, the Antikythera Mechanism was a box full of dozens of gears with a handle on the side. When the handle turned, the device calculated eclipses, moon phases, the movements of the five visible planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn — and more. It even included a dial for the timing of the ancient Olympics and religious festivals. Nothing else like it is known from antiquity, and nothing like it shows up in the archeological record for another 1,000 years. Scientists aren’t sure exactly who made the device, although the ancient Greek astronomer and mathematician Hipparchus has been suggested as the creator, and the famed mathematician and inventor Archimedes may also have been involved. While its origin will likely remain a mystery, the mechanism’s purpose has only grown clearer with time — and its existence has completely altered our understanding of the history of technology.
A few things get better with age, but concrete usually isn’t one of them — that is, unless it’s some ancient Roman concrete. Research published in 2021 examining the still-standing Tomb of Caecilia Metella, built around 30 BCE along Rome’s famous Appian Way, discovered that the inclusion of volcanic tephra (fragments of glass and crystals from eruptions) in the mortar had served as a kind of secret ingredient that strengthened the building. The tephra was chock-full of a potassium-rich mineral called leucite, which dissolved during centuries of rain and groundwater intrusion to release the potassium. That release actually reconfigured and strengthened the binding between the mortar and the other elements in the building over time, helping to make the tomb one of the oldest structures still standing. Researchers say that studying the tomb’s secrets could help create more durable building materials for the future — because while it's true that Rome wasn’t built in a day, it was definitely built to last.
