A British curator has recreated an ancient proto-computer, the Antikythera device, based on 2000 year-old salvaged parts, X-ray tomography and huge patience – and got it to work!

As you can see in the NewScientist video, it was an example of a mechanical computer – designed to predict the relative positions of the planets, chart astrology and count down to the Olympics.It shows us just how advanced Greek science was, and makes us wonder – what would have happened if this technology had not been lost? Would the Greeks have been playing Spore in 200AD?

Some questions to think about:

– What makes this a computer?

– What sets it apart from an old alarm clock?

– Where do you think we would be now if this knowledge hadn’t been lost?