What is the Antikythera mechanism often called?

The Antikythera mechanism is often called the world’s oldest analog computer.

The device is an ancient Greek hand-powered mechanism with interlocking bronze gears. It could model astronomical cycles and display information about the Sun, Moon and lunar phases, and it could help predict eclipses. Its complexity is exceptional for the ancient world.

Divers recovered the corroded fragments from a Roman-era shipwreck near the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901. Imaging and reconstruction have revealed gear trains, inscriptions and dials, allowing researchers to infer more of its design despite the device being incomplete.

The mechanism was probably made in the second or first century BCE. It is not an electronic computer and should not be confused with a modern digital machine. Its astronomical calculations reflect Greek mathematical astronomy, while its craftsmanship suggests a sophisticated technological tradition that is poorly represented in surviving objects.