The Mechanism has been recognized as an astronomical device since its first published description. The first Greek asian experts to study it (1902-1934) were archaeologists (I. Soronos, V. Stais), a historian (K. Rados), and officers of the Greek Royal Navy (P. Redades), a Theophanes. Both Svorenos and officers and Stais guessed that it was an astrolabe. The Theophanes suggested that it could have been used as a navigational device. The German philologist A. Rehm, who studied the visible mechanical elements and inscriptions on the plates, called it a "planetarium".