This is just too cool not to mention.

“The size of a shoebox, a mysterious bronze device scooped out of a Roman-era shipwreck at the dawn of the 20th century has baffled scientists for years. Now a British researcher has stunningly established it as the world’s oldest surviving astronomy computer.”

snip

“The challenge is to place this device into a scientific context, as it comes almost out of nowhere… and flies in the face of established theory that considers the ancient Greeks were lacking in applied technical knowledge,” adds Bitsakis, also of Athens University.”

Researchers find hidden Greek text on ‘world’s oldest astronomy computer’

(Via Physics Org.)