In 'Dial of Destiny', what ancient Greek device does Indiana Jones seek?

In “Dial of Destiny,” Indiana Jones seeks the Antikythera mechanism.

The film calls its fictionalized artifact Archimedes’ Dial, a device based on the real Antikythera mechanism. In the story, the dial is divided into pieces and is believed to reveal time fissures, allowing its user to travel through history. Indiana Jones and Helena Shaw race to recover it before Jürgen Voller can exploit it.

The historical Antikythera mechanism was discovered in 1901 in the wreck of a Roman-era ship near the Greek island of Antikythera. It is generally dated to the second or early first century BC and is regarded as the oldest known analogue computer. Its bronze gears could model astronomical cycles, including the movements of the Sun and Moon, eclipses, and the timing of athletic games.

The real device was not a time machine, and its connection with Archimedes remains speculative. The movie combines genuine ancient Greek engineering with science-fiction ideas. That is why “Archimedes’ screw” is a related-sounding but incorrect choice: it is a separate water-lifting invention.