An ancient astronomical calculator
made at the end of the 2nd century BC was amazingly
accurate and more complex than any instrument for the
next 1,000 years, scientists said on Wednesday.

The Antikythera Mechanism is the earliest known device
to contain an intricate set of gear wheels. It was
retrieved from a shipwreck off the Greek island of
Antikythera in 1901 but until now what it was used for
has been a mystery.

Although the remains are fragmented in 82 brass
pieces, scientists from Britain, Greece and the United
States have reconstructed a model of it using
high-resolution X-ray tomography. They believe their
findings could force a rethink of the technological
potential of the ancient Greeks.

"It could be described as the first known calculator,"
said Professor Mike Edmunds, a professor of
astrophysics at Cardiff University in Wales.