Last updated on .

The Museum of Ancient Greek Technology is a fun and interesting museum focusing on the technological advances pioneered in ancient Greece. It features modern replicas of ancient Greek contraptions.

Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

 

Visiting Info

The Museum of Ancient Greek Technology is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Adult admission for select exhibits is 5€ and full admission for all exhibits is 10€. The museum is located in the Kolonaki neighborhood of Athens. Visit the official website for more info.

There are some interactive exhibits and the friendly and enthusiastic staff are always eager to explain how these amazing devices work. Give yourself at least an hour to go through the museum. You’ll be impressed and surprised at some of the technology that existed in ancient times.


 

Heron Hall

The first exhibits near the reception desk on the ground floor are in the Heron Hall. They cover religious technology. One device of note is the automatic holy water server with a coin collector. It was developed in the 1st century and is considered the world’s first vending machine. The device was placed outside temples. The coin fell onto a balancing disk, opening a conical valve to allow a small amount of water to flow out.

Automatic holy water server with a coin collector
Automatic holy water server with a coin collector

 

Philon Hall

Attached to the Heron Hall is the Philon Hall. It covers telecommunications, robotics, hoisting machines, athletic technology, automation and programming, and cryptography.

Hoisting machines
Automation and programming
Automation and programming

One of the most interesting contraptions is the hydraulic telegraph of Aeneas Tacticus, which was developed in the 4th century BC. It’s regarded as the world’s first telecommunication device, transmitting pre-agreed messages across the empire of Alexander the Great. Messengers used a system of burning torches to signal when to open the tap. When the correct message was reached, the messenger would signal to close the tap.

Hydraulic telegraph of Aeneas Tacticus at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Hydraulic telegraph of Aeneas Tacticus

Another device is the automatic servant of Philon (c. 280 – c. 220 BC), developed in the 3rd century BC. The life-size female figure held a wine jug in her right hand. When a visitor placed a cup in her left hand, the robot automatically poured wine, then added water if desired.

Automatic servant of Philon at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Automatic servant of Philon

Finally, there’s the fire signals and beacons method developed in the 2nd century BC by Cleoxenes and Democletus. It was the first coded letter by letter telegraphy in history. The number of torches put up in a certain position would indicate a certain letter.

Fire signals and beacons


 

Ktesibios Hall

On the opposite side of the Heron Hall is the Ktesibios Hall. It features a lot of gadgets: hydraulic technology, pulling machines, geodesy and cartography, hydropower and wind power, steam mobility and jet propulsion, measurement of time, measuring instruments, automation and automatic navigation, and military technology.

Ktesibios Hall at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Ktesibios Hall
Military technology

In the center is a model of the Tower of the Winds, which is an ancient water clock at the Roman Agora archaeological site.

Model of the Tower of the Winds
Tower of the Winds

The hydraulic technology on display is the endless screw developed by Archimedes (c. 287 – c. 212 BC) in the 3rd century BC. It was able to pump large amounts of water at a 30° incline and is still in use today. There’s an interactive model for visitors to try out.

Hydraulic endless screw of Archimedes

Representing time measurement is the hodometer of Archimedes. It was the first road distance calculator in history. It consisted of a box with gears and was attached to a moving vehicle.

Hodometer of Archimedes
Hodometer of Archimedes

 

Hipparchus Hall

Upstairs on floor 0.5 is the small Hipparchus Hall. It covers medical technology, tools and machines, astronomy, pneumatics, computing mechanisms, and gadgets.

Medical technology

One of the highlights is a model of the Antikythera Mechanism. The Antikythera Mechanism is the oldest known example of an analogue computer. It was used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses as well as the four-year cycle of the ancient Olympic Games. In early 1900, Captain Dimitrios Kontos and his team of sponge divers from Symi discovered a shipwreck off the coast of the Greek island of Antikythera. The Hellenic Navy conducted a salvage mission from November 1900 through 1901. The device was identified on May 17, 1902, by Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais (1857-1923), who noticed a gear with legible Greek inscriptions. The inscriptions refer to astronomical and calendar calculations as well as instructions for its use. The actual pieces of the Antikythera Mechanism can be seen at the National Archaeological Museum.

Antikythera Mechanism at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Antikythera Mechanism

Gadgets on display include the philosopher’s stone and the ingenious wine jug. The philosophers stone was invented by Heron in the 1st century. It consisted of two vessels connected by a small tube. When water was poured into the first vessel, air was forced through the tube to the second vessel, pushing out an equal amount of wine. The ingenious wine jug was invented by Philon in the 3rd century BC and was the first “smart appliance” in history. It would pour water, wine, or watered wine into a cup, depending on the drinker’s choice.

Philosopher's stone (left) and ingenious wine jug (right)
Philosopher’s stone (left) and ingenious wine jug (right)


 

Hall of Gods

Heading down to the basement is the Hall of Gods. There’s a scale model of the Syracusia on display. It was the first cruise ship of antiquity. The Syracusia was designed by Archimedes and built around 240 BC. It could carry 1,600 to 1,800 tons and had a capacity of 1,942 passengers. Amenities included an indoor bath, garden, gymnasium, library, and temple dedicated to Aphrodite. The Syracusia only made one voyage, from Syracuse in Sicily to Alexandria in Egypt, where it was gifted to Ptolemy III Euergetes.

Syracusia at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Syracusia

 

Archimedes Hall

Also in the basement is the Archimedes Hall, which displays replicas of ancient military uniforms. They’re displayed in chronological order running in a clockwise direction, starting with Mycenaean armor.

Archimedes Hall at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Archimedes Hall
Mycenaean armor
Mycenaean armor, 15th-13th century BC at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Mycenaean armor, 15th-13th century BC

Spartan, Corinthian, and Athenian military gear is next, highlighting developments in armor and helmets around the 5th century BC.

Archaic Spartan armor, 540 BC at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Archaic Spartan armor, 540 BC
Composite Corinthian helmet, late 5th century BC at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Composite Corinthian helmet, late 5th century BC
Linothorax of the polemarch Callimachus (d. 490 BC), 5th century BC
Linothorax of the polemarch Callimachus (d. 490 BC), 5th century BC

Continuing along is Macedonian armor. There are replicas of the armor Philip II was buried in as well as a couple pieces worn by Alexander the Great.

Cuirass of Phillip Il of Macedon, 4th century BC at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Cuirass of Phillip Il of Macedon, 4th century BC
Linothorax of Alexander the Great, 4th century BC at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Linothorax of Alexander the Great, 4th century BC
Muscle armor of Alexander the Great, 4th century BC
Muscle armor of Alexander the Great, 4th century BC

Finally, after a row of breastplates is Byzantine armor. On display is the armor worn by a cataphract during the Middle Byzantine period.

Breastplates
Cataphract's armor of the Middle Byzantine period, 10th century at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Cataphract’s armor of the Middle Byzantine period, 10th century


 

Musical Instruments

Back through the main entrance and up a different stairwell to the first floor is a section featuring ancient Greek musical instruments.

Musical instruments and toys at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Musical instruments and toys
Seistron (rattle), kymbala (cymbals), krotala (clapper), rhoptron (tambourine), and tympanon (drum)
Seistron (rattle), kymbala (cymbals), krotala (clapper), rhoptron (tambourine), and tympanon (drum)

String instruments include the pandoura (trichord), which was a “wooden three-stringed instrument with a small soundbox and a long neck with frets”. It was a predecessor of the lute. Nearby are the magadis and piktis of Sappho (c. 630 – c. 570 BC), which were harps. They had multiple strings of varying lengths and a wooden soundbox. Both instruments were usually played by a woman.

Pandoura (trichord)
Magadis and piktis of Sappho (harps)

Continuing on are the kithara of Apollo (guitar), archaic guitar, and the lyre. The kithara of Apollo was played at music competitions and other public events. It required a great amount of skill. The archaic guitar had a wooden soundbox, often U-shaped, with three or four strings. The lyre was popular as far back as the Mycenaean period. It consisted of a tortoise shell soundbox with an ox or goat skin stretched over the open side, two arms made of goat horns or wooden rods, a wooden crossbar, and strings made of hemp, flax, or animal tendons.

Kithara (guitar of Apollo) at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Kithara (guitar of Apollo)
Archaic guitar
Lyre at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Lyre

One of the final two instruments of note is the Pythagorean sixchord (syntonon). It was a board instrument used to study musical notes in relation to the tension of the strings. The other is the hydraulis (water organ) of Ktesibios (285-222 BC), which was invented in the 3rd century BC as the world’s first keyboard instrument. It consisted of two pumps, a keyboard, and pipes.

Pythagorean sixchord (syntonon)
Pythagorean sixchord (syntonon)
Hydraulis (water organ) of Ktesibios at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Hydraulis (water organ) of Ktesibios


 

Toys

In the same gallery are a few games and toys. One of the games on display is polis, which is an ancestor of chess. It was a popular strategy game played by two players.

Polis
Polis

 

Pindaros Hall

The final section of the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology is the Pindaros Hall, which is also on the first floor. It’s an interactive area where visitors can try their hand at some ancient Greek games.

Pindaros Hall

One of the most popular games is trias, which was the first form of tic-tac-toe in history. Each player had three pawns with the objective of forming a straight line or blocking their opponent from doing so. Don’t challenge the staff to a game – you’ll never win!

Trias at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Athens, Greece
Trias

 

Map with the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

 

 

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

Write A Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Jump To