Saturday, April 10, 2021

Reverse engineering

We can learn so much from those who lived before us! Our ancestors weren't uncivilized, barbaric, stupid, filthy, egocentric thieves. At least, not all of them. And I bet you know a few uncivilized, barbaric, stupid, filthy, egocentric thieves who live today.

2000 Years ago they knew nothing of mathematics, astronomy and computers. Right? Wrong. Very, very wrong

Scientists unlocked the 'Cosmos' on the Antikythera Mechanism, the world's first computer and are close to creating a replica. The ancient Greeks used it to keep track of the movement of the then five known planets in our solar system. This device showed them when the next full moon would be, when it was time for the next Olympics or to bring in the harvest. 

I can only imagine the shock when they lost it at sea. Picture the users and makers finding out their invention was going to be recreated 2000 years later.


What ancient surprises lay still waiting for us to be discovered and how will they change our view of our ancestors?

Want to read (more of) my short stories? My author page: Terrence Weijnschenk at Amazon

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