Editing Antikythera mechanism (section)

===Discovery===
[[File:DerekdeSollaPrice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Derek J. de Solla Price]] (1922–1983) with a model of the Antikythera mechanism]]
Captain Dimitrios Kontos ({{lang|el|Δημήτριος Κοντός}}) and a crew of [[Sponge diving|sponge divers]] from [[Symi]] island discovered the Antikythera wreck in early 1900, and recovered arte<!-- 'e' - this article uses British spelling -->facts during the first expedition with the [[Hellenic Navy|Hellenic Royal Navy]], in 1900–01.<ref name="Auto82-15"/> This wreck of a Roman cargo ship was found at a depth of {{convert|45|m}} off Point Glyphadia on the Greek island of [[Antikythera]]. The team retrieved numerous large objects, including bronze and marble statues, pottery, unique glassware, jewellery, coins, and the mechanism. The mechanism was retrieved from the wreckage in 1901, probably July.<ref name="Auto82-16"/> It is unknown how the mechanism came to be on the cargo ship.

All of the items retrieved from the wreckage were transferred to the [[National Archaeological Museum, Athens|National Museum of Archaeology]] in [[Athens]] for storage and analysis. The mechanism appeared to be a lump of corroded bronze and wood. The bronze had turned into [[atacamite]] which cracked and shrank when it was brought up from the shipwreck, changing the dimensions of the pieces.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Alex Wilkins |title=Ancient computer's gears may not have been able to turn |journal=New Scientist |date=Apr 17, 2025 |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2476675-ancient-computers-gears-may-not-have-been-able-to-turn/}}</ref> It went unnoticed for two years, while museum staff worked on piecing together more obvious treasures, such as the statues.<ref name=marchant-06/> Upon removal from seawater, the mechanism was not treated, resulting in deformational changes.<ref name="Auto82-17"/>

On 17 May 1902, [[archaeology|archaeologist]] Valerios Stais found one of the pieces of rock had a gear wheel embedded in it. He initially believed that it was an astronomical clock, but most scholars considered the device to be [[Anachronism#Prochronism|prochronistic]], too complex to have been constructed during the same period as the other pieces that had been discovered.

The German philologist [[Albert Rehm]] became interested in the device and was the first to propose that it was an astronomical calculator.<ref name="Auto82-18"/><ref name="TFreeth2013"/>

Investigations into the object lapsed until British science historian and Yale University professor [[Derek J. de Solla Price]] became interested in 1951.<ref name=haughton2006/><ref name="Auto82-19"/> In 1971, Price and Greek nuclear physicist Charalampos Karakalos made X-ray and [[Gamma camera|gamma-ray images]] of the 82 fragments. Price published a paper on their findings in 1974.<ref name="price-74" />

Two other searches for items at the Antikythera wreck site in 2012 and 2015 yielded art objects and a second ship which may, or may not, be connected with the treasure ship on which the mechanism was found.<ref name="Auto82-20"/> Also found was a bronze disc, embellished with the image of a bull. The disc has four "ears" which have holes in them, and it was thought it may have been part of the Antikythera mechanism, as a "[[gear|cog wheel]]". There appears to be little evidence that it was part of the mechanism; it is more likely the disc was a bronze decoration on a piece of furniture.<ref name="Auto82-21"/>