Greek Inventions: Ancient Greece is known for numerous inventions some of which we still use today in its original form while others have undergone a slight change. One well-known ancient Greek invention is the Antikythera mechanism.
Greek Inventions
This was a type of calculator that is thought to have been invented some 2000 years ago. Through the use of a complex system of gears, it was able to calculate the relative positions of the sun, moon, and stars whenever a date was entered. This is one of the ancient Greeks inventions that was truly far ahead of its time.
Heron, an ancient Greek engineer invented the steam engine. The steam was generated in a pot filled with water which was covered and placed on fire; the pot was connected with two tubes which collected the steam and allowed it to collect into a ball of metal. The metallic ball had two outlets from where the steam was released. As the steam passed through these tubes the metal ball rotated.
Research has shown that maps in the western literature were first produced in 6200 B.C. The first Greek scholar to invent a geographical map was Anaximander. Also, the concept of longitude and latitude was introduced by a Greek geographer called Dikaiarch (350-290 BC). Maps are one of the most ancient Greek inventions used today.
Greece is also attributed to the world famous Pythagoras theorem proposed by the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras (582-500 BC). This theorem was a major benchmark in the fields of mathematics, geometry, and astronomy.
Read more on the history of the Pythagorean theorem. Also, mathematician Thales discovered the first mathematical deductions and also developed the science of irrational numbers and axiomatic theory.
Invention of the First Cannon
The first cannon was invented by the ancient Greeks. Rather than being fired by gunpowder, these cannons used compressed air to launch objects. It is believed that Archimedes used a steam-powered cannon when fighting the Romans in the third century B.C.
George Papanicolaou (1883-1962), a Greek American doctor first detected cervical cancer in 1943 by a gynecological procedure known as the Pap Smear test which was named after him.
Greek Physician Hippocrates
Greek Physician Hippocrates (460-377 BC), also known as the father of modern medicine, wrote the world famous “Hippocratic Oath”. This oath prohibited doctors from performing abortions and unnecessary surgery and required them to refrain from any sexual relations with their patients and to keep any information private divulged to them.
List of Greek Inventions
The Inventions of Ancient Greece list is incomplete without the important invention of the Olympic Games, an athletic competition that takes place every four years with challengers from nearly every country in the world. Although the exact origins are unknown, the earliest record can be traced to 776 B.C. The Games were originally held as a festival to honor the Greek gods.
