Did someone invent something that was invented before?
There are many examples of this. One fascinating reinvention is the mechanical astronomical clock.
A mechanical astronomical clock, the Antikythera mechanism was recovered from a shipwreck off the Greek Isles in 1901 and dates back to around 150–205 BC.
Su Song in China invented a hydro-mechanical astronomical clock tower around 725AD.
Ismail al-Jazari (Middle Eastern) in 1206 published his invention for the Castle Clock (Al-Jazari’s Castle Water Clock: Analysis of its Components and Functioning ) and theElephant clock.
The Europeans redevised these inventions much later in the Strasbourg astronomical clock in 1352 and the Prague astronomical clock (completed 1490).