It used bronze gears to predict the position of sun, moon and planets – and eclipses as well. It was recovered in 1901 from an ancient Greek shipwreck, greatly corroded and encrusted, but over decades researchers have applied techniques to reveal its original form. Dr Vassilios Spathopoulos tells the story of the 2,000-year-old Antikythera mechanism and shows a working model of a machine that was in action at the time of Caesar and Cleopatra.

Supported by the Institute of Physics