A dictionary-size assemblage of 37 interlocking dials crafted with the precision and complexity of a 19th-century Swiss clock, the Antikythera mechanism was used for modeling and predicting the movements of the heavenly bodies as well as the dates and locations of upcoming Olympic games.

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/2000-year-old-a.html?mbid=wir_newsltr