Mystery AtlasAncient Civilisations
Ancient Technology
Unexpectedly sophisticated artefacts and engineering from antiquity — the Antikythera mechanism, Damascus steel, Roman concrete — and what they reveal about early knowledge.
Questions
Why Does Ancient Roman Concrete Outlast Modern Concrete?
How Roman concrete has survived 2,000 years, and what 2017 and 2023 studies found about the self-healing chemistry behind its durability.
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Why Was Damascus Steel Considered Lost, and Has Its Secret Been Rediscovered?
Why true Damascus steel died out by the 1700s, and what 1998 and 2006 metallurgical studies found when they investigated its famous banded pattern.
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What Is the Antikythera Mechanism?
What the Antikythera Mechanism is: the 2,000-year-old Greek astronomical calculator found in a shipwreck, how it worked, and what modern scans revealed.
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