00:00How much time passed between the inventions of the first computer and the appearance of the modern one?
00:06The first electronic computer in history is the ENIAC, Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer.
00:14It was invented in 1945 by American scientists.
00:19But there's an older machine. It's the Babbage Difference Engine.
00:24English engineer Charles Babbage built it in 1822.
00:27This means more than 200 years have passed since the first computer.
00:32And we would have thought so if, at the beginning of the 20th century,
00:35divers hadn't discovered a computer more than 2,000 years old.
00:40In 1900, a group of divers searched for sea sponges in the Mediterranean Sea between the island of Crete and mainland Greece.
00:48But instead of sponges, they found sunken treasure ships.
00:52It was one of the most significant archaeological finds of that time.
00:57At the bottom were Greek marble sculptures and many other artifacts.
01:02Among them, divers found a strange piece of stone the size of a large book.
01:07They ignored it and put it with other finds in the museum.
01:10A few months later, archaeologists began to study the block and discovered that a strange object with bronze gears was hidden inside it.
01:20This shocked all scientists because, according to historical data, such things could not exist in ancient Greece.
01:27The technologies of that time were not so developed.
01:30Scientists started studying this object and realized they had no idea what it was.
01:37They called it the Antikythera Mechanism, and they had been trying to unravel its purpose for over 100 years.
01:44The fragility of the object added complexity.
01:48It had been underwater for a millennia.
01:50Its internal instruments were damaged, and when scientists touched them, they fell apart.
01:55Over many years of research, the object has split into 82 fragments, becoming a real puzzle for scientists worldwide.
02:05They found out that it was a machine designed for astronomical calculations.
02:11With the help of x-rays, computer tomography, and virtual modeling, people could partially recreate the image of the mechanism.
02:18It was a complex structure consisting of 30 rotating gears that turned the dial.
02:25The whole mechanism was set in motion with a hand crank.
02:29All this was necessary for the ancient Greeks to track the positions of the moon and the sun,
02:35and calculate the time of eclipses and the Olympic Games.
02:39It's as if Silicon Valley was in ancient Greece, and the best minds united to create a revolutionary startup.
02:45The Antikythera Mechanism showed that people in the distant past had excellent knowledge of astronomy and technologies for studying the starry sky.
02:57Considering that time, it was not just a machine, but a supercomputer.
03:02People entered data into it and got the result after the complex calculations it performed.
03:07In 2016, scientists found an inscription on the device containing more than 3,000 symbols.
03:16It was something like a manual for use.
03:19The text had information about eclipse colors, celestial body movement, and astrological predictions.
03:26It was like a reference list of all the events that happened to the planets in the sky.
03:30The Greeks realized that all astronomical bodies in the starry sky moved along the same routes.
03:38That is, they had orbits close to the plane of motion of our planet around the sun.
03:44Ancient astronomers couldn't calculate the path of their movement, so they created the Antikythera Mechanism.
03:50This was one of its main functions.
03:52The researchers found confirmation of this version in the words of the Roman lawyer Cicero.
03:57In one of his quotes, there was a mention of a computing machine created by mathematician Archimedes.
04:05According to Cicero, the machine could depict the movement of five stars called wanderers.
04:11At that time, people called celestial bodies that way.
04:14Archimedes had lived before the Antikythera Mechanism was invented,
04:18but perhaps he created the drawings that became the basis of the device.
04:23The mechanism worked, and when you turned the handle on it,
04:27it rotated the gears in the front and rear parts of the device.
04:32And then, the dial showed you the direction of movement of space objects.
04:37Besides, the machine had an astronomical calendar inside
04:40and tracked the time of sporting events, such as the Olympic Games,
04:44and also helped to calculate the exact time of the eclipse.
04:48Apparently, the Antikythera Mechanism was something like a powerful organizer
04:53used by scientists or wealthy citizens of Greece.
04:57But what is most unusual is that its creator probably installed the function
05:02that changed the observation properties depending on the observer's location.
05:07This means that ancient astronomers had to enter different coordinates
05:11in different areas for the correct result.
05:14NASA computers can do all these things today.
05:19These expensive, multi-million-dollar devices work with electricity,
05:23chips, processors, and thousands of other things.
05:26And the ancient Greeks achieved the same result
05:292,000 years ago with the help of this small device.
05:35This changes the idea of the technologies of ancient Greece.
05:39People of that time had plumbing and used steam to control some equipment.
05:42They were developed, but no one expected them to go so far.
05:48Archaeologists were sure that people of ancient times
05:51used giant rough gears to operate windmills.
05:54And now, it turns out that they could create small and complex mechanisms
05:58that modern scientists couldn't figure out for a hundred years.
06:03Divers continued to study the seabed where the Antikythera Mechanism was found.
06:08They have already found other items, such as nails from the ship and a bronze ring.
06:14Such underwater excavations are dangerous and complicated,
06:18so the research takes a long time.
06:22Experts think that the Antikythera Mechanism was not a single copy.
06:26Perhaps the ancient Greeks made the same or similar machines.
06:31Maybe they're hidden somewhere or were melted down to create something else.
06:35In those days, bronze was a costly metal,
06:38so when ancient astronomical computers broke down,
06:41people could melt them and sell the metal.
06:44Some researchers refer to the Antikythera Mechanism
06:47as the ancient prototype of all modern devices.
06:50phones, computers, and tablets have something in common with this machine.
06:57By the way, have you heard of the odometer device?
07:02This device tracks the distance traveled by car or other means of transport.
07:07Nowadays, odometers are digital,
07:10but this technology used to be mechanical,
07:13and the ancient Greeks were the first to invent it.
07:16According to some records, Archimedes might have created it.
07:19The Roman later adopted this device for use
07:22during long journeys to aid in road construction.
07:26The ancient Greeks were the first to attempt to understand the rules of geometry.
07:31The Babylonians and Egyptians used geometry in different spheres of life.
07:35However, the Greeks decided to use logical reasoning
07:38to establish the rules and formulas that we still use today.
07:44Archimedes observed that when a solid object was immersed in water,
07:48it displaced a mass of water equal to the volume of the object.
07:54Have you heard of the Hippocratic Oath?
07:56This document is read aloud by all doctors before they start practicing medicine.
08:01For us, concepts such as confidentiality between a doctor and a patient seem commonplace,
08:07as well as a doctor's duty to always try to cure and save people's lives.
08:11But all of this was invented by ancient Greek Hippocrates.
08:17In addition to the famous oath,
08:19he was one of the first to make a scientific leap in medicine.
08:22In ancient times, people viewed illnesses as punishment for bad deeds.
08:27But Hippocrates discovered that diseases were natural
08:30and that the human body could react differently to them.
08:33This may seem obvious now,
08:35but the ancient Greeks reached this conclusion in 460 BCE.
08:42Aristotle was the first to suggest that our planet is a sphere,
08:45and thanks to him, we enjoy movies, TV series, and performances.
08:50The ancient Greeks invented theater in the form we know it today.
08:54Aristotle wrote the first rules of drama in history,
08:57which guide directors and screenwriters on how to keep the viewer's attention.
09:01Greek writers created plays in various genres,
09:05including tragedies, satires, and comedies.
09:08All of this contributed to the formation of Western culture,
09:12and that's why many directors enjoy staging ancient plays.
09:17And this is only a small part of what the Greeks invented.
09:21Therefore, it's quite logical that they were able to create the Antikythera mechanism.
09:25That's it for today.
09:31So hey, if you pacified your curiosity,
09:34then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
09:36Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side.
09:40So let's get started.
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