A corroded lump of bronze salvaged from an ancient shipwreck has turned out to be nothing less than a computer used to plot the motion of heavenly bodies (see page 36). We know of nothing approaching the complexity of this device - called the "Antikythera mechanism" - for well over 1000 years after its construction in the second century BC. Even more mind-blowing is whatrntechnologies the Ancient Greeks might have achieved if the Romans had not supplanted their culture. It's a question once addressed by Arthur C. Clarke, who speculated that by now "we would not merely be pottering around the moon. We would have reached the nearer stars." The story of this mechanical marvel reminds us never to take our own knowledge for granted.
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机译：从古老的沉船残骸中救出的一块腐蚀的青铜块，无非就是用来绘制天体运动的计算机（请参阅第36页）。在公元前2世纪建造该装置后的1000多年里，我们一直没有发现这种装置的复杂性-被称为“安提凯希拉机制”。如果罗马人不取代自己的文化，那么古希腊人可能会获得更多的技术突破。这是亚瑟·克拉克（Arthur C. Clarke）曾经解决的一个问题，他推测到现在“我们不仅会在月球周围陶土，而且还会到达附近的恒星。”这种机械奇迹的故事提醒我们不要将自己的知识视为理所当然。
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