[2026] PTE Academic Reading - Multiple Choice, Multiple Answers

Discovered in 1901 by sponge divers off the coast of a Greek island, the Antikythera Mechanism is a remarkable artifact from the ancient world.Often described as the oldest known example of an analogue computer, this hand-powered orrery dates back to the second century BCE.Its discovery fundamentally altered historians' understanding of ancient Greek technological capabilities.

The mechanism was primarily used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses for calendrical and astrological purposes decades in advance.It features a highly complex system of at least thirty interlocking bronze gears housed within a wooden frame.The sophistication of this gearwork demonstrates a level of precision engineering that was previously believed to have not emerged until the development of astronomical clocks in fourteenth-century Europe.

In recent decades, modern non-destructive imaging techniques have provided deeper insights into the device's functions.High-resolution X-ray computed tomography has allowed researchers to decipher thousands of microscopic text characters hidden inside the corroded fragments.These inscriptions effectively serve as a user manual, explaining how the dials display the movements of the sun, the phases of the moon, and the paths of the five planets known to antiquity.