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Re:Ask HN: Building a Computer in Jesus's Time by qohen on Tuesday June 09, 2020 @05:41PM (#23471225)
Perhaps not exactly what you have in mind, but there is the Antikythera mechanism [0][1], the first known analog computer, dating back to about 100-200 BCE which exhibits gear-work that one doesn't see for another 1500 years or so. The device calculates the phases of the moon and the motion of the known planets and more for any date over a 76 year cycle. It takes into account the retrograde motion of Mars, can calculate the dates of eclipses, etc. There are videos on YouTube showing how it is supposed to have worked, e.g. [2].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism

[1] https://www.age-of-the-sage.org/archaeology/antikythera_mech...

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML4tw_UzqZE

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