www.popularmechanics.com /science/archaeology/a63683503/antikythera-mechanism/ 2,000 Years Ago, the Greeks Built What May Be the World’s First Computer Darren Orf 4/9/2025 Will we ever fully understand how it works? By Darren Orf Published: Apr 09, 2025 2:10 PM EDT The year is 72 B.C.E., and the Roman Republic has already punched a one-way ticket toward empire . The evergrowing Mediterranean power is embroiled in yet another conflict, and the Roman conqueror Lucius Lucinius Lucullus has chartered a series of ships to ferry home riches from newly plundered regions. Although most ships eventually reach their destination at the port of Ostia, southwest of Rome, one Greek ship—loaded with jewelry, coins, statues, glassware, and bronze masterpieces—never arrives. As the vessel traverses the Aegean Sea , a violent tempest tosses it into the rocky shores of an island called Antikythera....