Ancient Computer Stumps Scientists for Over a Century, While Water-Powered Analog Computer's Creator Remains a Mystery

Scientists from University College London have reconstructed the front panel of the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient hand-powered instrument discovered in 1901 on a Roman-era shipwreck in Greece. The device was a remarkable time-keeping device, using a wing-up system to track the sun and planets meticulously, and also functioned as a calendar, accurately monitoring the phases of the moon and eclipses. The Antikythera computer was far ahead of its time, and its technical sophistication surpassed any other tool or invention for the subsequent millennium.