Prof Edmunds said: "It makes you wonder what they would have achieved if they'd have carried on, and the Romans hadn't taken over and put a stop to things. Would they have had a man on the Moon by AD 300?

"It sounds ridiculous, but if they were able to construct something as technically brilliant as this, it's not complete fantasy," said Prof Edmunds.

"The Romans were great at the stuff like building sewers and getting things done, but it was the Greeks who were the thinkers, and came up with real innovative technology."