Researchers propose a 'day zero' for the oldest computer ever discovered

pcgamer.com:

Built some time between 200 BC and 60 BC, the Antikythera mechanism is the oldest known computer mechanism in existence. This ancient, geared device for tracking the heavens is in pretty bad shape after all that time.

But, despite the rust, researchers may have finally revealed the date it was first set ticking—also known as «Day Zero.»

The mechanism is actually a hand-wound clock, used to calculate the sun, moon and planets' movements, and predicting eclipses. It was discovered over a century ago in a shipwreck, says NewScientist(opens in new tab), after a gale blew divers off-course to the barren islet of Antikythera—hence the name.

Since then, the mechanism has made waves in our understanding of how technologically advanced the ancient Greeks were. It's proven that their technical ability was far beyond what we initially thought. Archimedes himself may have even had a hand in the original design of mechanisms like this one, since it has links to his home city of Syracuse.

Mathias Buttet, Director of Research and Development at Hublot, who helped recreate a wearable version of the mechanism(opens in new tab) says the «Antikythera mechanism includes ingenious features which are not found in modern watchmaking.» That all points to the ancient Greeks having been better at measuring time than we ever imagined.

But as with any mechanism that measures, calibrations are needed. For a clock like this the calibrations would require a start date to ensure the device’s accuracy.

Recent advancements(opens in new tab) have pointed to the calibration date having been around the time the moon was in its apogee position, its furthest position in orbit from the Earth, which causes a kind of solar eclipse.

Aristeidis Voulgaris of the