12 Ancient Scientific Instruments You Can Still See Today

Incredible tools used to understand the world thousands of years ago.

BY MEG NEAL, PLACES EDITOR

12 PLACES

Many hundreds of years before the development of modern science as we know it, people made incredible strides in understanding the world around them by developing groundbreaking scientific instruments. Sometimes made with primitive materials and limited resources, these technological tools helped people make remarkably accurate and advanced calculations and observations—paving the way for today’s observatories, clocks, and computers.

These mechanisms, some of which date back as far as 5,000 years ago, were developed on different continents by a wide range of cultures—from advanced metallurgy in India to the influential astronomical calendars of the ancient Maya. Amazingly, some of these ancient scientific instruments have been preserved through the millennia, and can be visited today. Each provides a window into how our ancestors made sense of the world around them. 

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1

ATHENS, GREECE

Antikythera Mechanism

Regarded as the first known analog computer, the 2,000-year-old bronze mechanism could make remarkably precise mathematical and astronomical calculations. Called a “clockwork computer," it precedes any machine of comparable complexity by more than a millennium.

 

 

2

TATEV, ARMENIA

Gavazan Column at Tatev Monastery

Nearly a thousand years before the development of the modern seismograph, Armenian monks measured earthquakes with this tilting pillar.

 

 

3

CAIRO, EGYPT

Nilometer

As early as 5,000 years ago, these submerged columns were used to measure the waters of the Nile so that farmers in ancient Egypt could know whether to expect flood or famine.

 

 

4

BEIJING, CHINA

Beijing Ancient Observatory

This ancient Chinese observatory contains early astronomical technology, including exotic instruments such as the azimuth theodolite and the armillary sphere, both used to measure stellar distances.

 

 

5

LOVELL, WYOMING

Bighorn Medicine Wheel

These sacred hoops have been built by American Indians for as many as 5,000 years. Among other purposes, they served as astronomical calendars. The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is still an accurate predictor of the summer solstice.

 

 

6

JAIPUR, INDIA

Jantar Mantar

Among the stone instruments constructed for this observatory is the Samrat Yantra, a 73-foot-tall sundial—to this day the largest ever built. Though indistinguishable in design from other sundials of its time, it is far and away the most accurate.

 

 

7

SAMARKAND, UZBEKISTAN

Ulugh Beg Observatory

This Muslim observatory was constructed around an enormous astronomical instrument that remains mostly intact: a monumental meridian arc called the Fakhrī sextant. The largest of its kind ever built, it successfully measured the length of the year to within 25 seconds of the actual value, and accurately determined the axial tilt of the Earth.

 

 

8

NEW DELHI, INDIA

Iron Pillar of Delhi

This 1,600-year-old, rustproof pillar is a simple example of the exquisite craft and knowledge of ancient peoples. At 98 percent pure wrought iron, the column is a testament to the high level of skill achieved by ancient Indian metallurgists.

 

 

9

GYEONGJU, SOUTH KOREA

Cheomseongdae

As one of the oldest scientific sites in the world, Cheomseongdae provides a window into how astronomy was conducted many hundreds of years ago. Some have claimed there is numerical significance imbued in every brick.

 

 

10

SALISBURY, ENGLAND

Medieval Clock at Salisbury Cathedral

This wrought-iron clock mechanism is thought to be the Cathedral’s original mechanical clock, dating to 1386—making it the oldest working clock in the world. The design of the clock introduced to Salisbury the relatively new concept of standardized hours.

 

 

11

CHICHEN ITZA, MEXICO

El Caracol - The Observatory of Chichen Itza

A spiral-shaped monument not only to the architectural skill of the ancient Maya, but also to their surprisingly advanced understanding of the heavens.

 

 

12

DANDARAH, EGYPT

Dendera Light

While not a scientific tool itself, the depiction on this stone relief has been controversially interpreted as evidence of a modern lighting system in ancient Egypt. It’s been used to argue that ancient cultures were much more technologically advanced than we believe today.