Decoding the Heavens : A 2,000-Year-Old Computer -- and the Century-Long Search to Discover Its Secrets

The bronze fragments of an ancient Greek device have puzzled scholars for more than a century after they were recovered from the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, where they had lain since about 80 B. C. Now, using advanced imaging technology, scientists have solved the mystery of its intricate workings. Unmatched in complexity for a thousand years, the mechanism functioned as the world’s first analog computer, calculating the movements of the sun, moon, and planets through the zodiac. In Decoding the Heavens, Jo Marchant details for the first time the hundred-year quest to decode this ancient computer. Along the way she unearths a diverse cast of remarkable characters-ranging from Archimedes to Jacques Cousteau-and explores the deep roots of modern technology, not only in ancient Greece, but in the Islamic world and medieval Europe. At its heart, this is an epic adventure story, a book that challenges our assumptions about technology development through the ages while giving us fresh insights into history itself. In Decoding the Heavens , Jo Marchant tells for the first time the full story of the hundred-year quest to decipher the ancient Greek computer known as the Antikythera Mechanism. Along the way she unearths a diverse cast of remarkable characters and explores the deep roots of modern technology in ancient Greece and the medieval European and Islamic worlds. At its heart, this is an epic adventure and mystery, a book that challenges our assumptions about technology through the ages.

The surprising story behind the 2,000-year-old Antikythera mechanism that challenges our assumptions about what ancient scientists knew, and the technological equipment they used to understand their world.

The Washington Post - Nelson Hernandez

Jo Marchant tackles the struggle to understand the machine with gusto. That the petty faults and occasional breathtaking inspiration of humans might be more interesting than the stars shouldn't surprise

The story of the discovery and study of what came to be known as the, "Antikythera mechanism."