From 19/10/2015 until 30/10/2015
European Patent Office
Patentlaan 2 Rijswijk
The Hague
Netherlands
Ancient Greek Inventions is a traveling exhibition of the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology Kostas Kotsanas, hosted by the European Patent Office in The Hague, that aims to highlight this relatively less well-known aspect of ancient Greek civilisation.
Through functional reconstructions and carefully selected exhibits, the exhibition reveals how science and engineering were deeply integrated into everyday life, religion, warfare, communication, and entertainment in antiquity.
Visitors encounter religious technology, featuring examples of mysterious inventions designed to create illusions and inspire awe and belief, such as the automatic opening of temple gates and a vending machine that automatically served holy water. Among others, the exhibition presents inventions from many sectors, such as telecommunications (fire signals and the hydraulic telegraph of Aeneas), automation and programming (automatic theatres and mechanical performances), astronomy (astrolabes and measuring instruments), jet propulsion (the flying pigeon of Archytas), hydraulics (pumps, water-lifting devices, and hydraulic organs), robotics (humanoid automata and mechanical servants), and everyday gadgets (automatic ”magic” fountains, and ingenious domestic devices).