The Greeks Were Computing Back in 100 B.C.

We all knew the Greeks were ahead of their time. Sounds like they also had a head start on fulfilling Bill Gates' vision of "a computer in every home".

The ancient Greek technology that is titillating historians and scientists is referred to as the Antikythera Mechanism, or more simply an analog computer.

This device had been recovered a century ago from sunken ruins off the coast of Crete but it is only now that scientists have been able to employ three dimensional X-ray tomography to probe the mechanism. They are now able to decipher inscriptions on its surface and reconstruct the functions of the bronze gears. They have stumbled upon details of dials on the instrument's back side, including the names of all 12 months of an ancient calendar.

Researchers in Cardiff, Wales say that the names of the months are of Corinthian origin and suggest a link with that genius of design, Archimedes.

Scientists suggest the device could reliably predict solar eclipses as well as organize the calendar in four year cycles of the Olympiad, the forerunner of the modern day Olympics.