Antikythera mechanism model. Model of the Antikythera mechanism, an early form of mechanical computer found circa 1900 in the wreck of the 1st-century BC Roman ship Antikythera. The Antikythera was a 60 metre luxury cargo ship that was sunk in 60 BC during a voyage from Greece to Rome and was discovered by sponge divers off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera in 1900. It is the richest shipwreck ever found, containing numerous statues, coins and other artifacts dating back to the 4th century BC. Also found were the severely corroded remnants of this device, widely regard as the world's oldest known analogue computer. It is thought to have been designed to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes, as well as the Olympiads, the cycles of the ancient Olympic Games.