1. What these objects actually prove (and what they don’t)
Antikythera Mechanism (c. 100–100 BCE)
What it is:
A bronze, gear-driven analog computer for predicting eclipses, planetary cycles, and calendars.
What it proves (high confidence):
Hellenistic engineers mastered precision gearing centuries before medieval clocks.
They had mathematical astronomy, not astrology cosplay.
Knowledge existed in small elite circles, not society-wide.
Complex technology can exist without industrialization.
What it does NOT prove (low confidence / speculation):
Lost global super-civilization ❌
Alien intervention ❌
Widespread ancient “high tech” ❌