This device was described by Cicero in the first century B.C.E. as a kind of planetarium ​ — a mechanical model capable of replicating in miniature the movements of the sun, the moon, and the five planets visible to the naked eye.
Seda seadeldist kirjeldas esimesel sajandil e.m.a Cicero. See olevat olnud mehhaaniline mudel, mis võimaldas miniatuurselt jäljendada päikese, kuu ja palja silmaga nähtava viie planeedi liikumist.