2,100-year-old gadget kept track of lunar phases, Olympics

July 31, 2008, 9:41 PM — The Antikythera Mechanism, a clockwork mechanism dating from the first century B.C., was fished out out of the water over a century ago, but only the latest computer imaging technology has allowed archaeologists to unlock its secrets. It appears to be a calendar that keeps track of the phases of the moon, eclipses -- and the Olympic Games, which, then as now, took place over four years. The latter calls into question how well the Greeks were able to keep track of time. "One does not need a piece of high technology to keep track of a simple four-year cycle," said one scientist. read more...