Experts in history argue that the development of European culture would not have been possible without ancient Greece. Indeed, the modern world owes much to Hellas.
Military mechanics and technology
Studying the discoveries and inventions of Ancient Greece, it should immediately be said that representatives of this ancient civilization placed great emphasis on the development of military equipment and related disciplines. In particular, it was the Greeks who were among the first to learn how to create wall-mounted devices - catapults and ballista. Many new siege devices appeared during the Peloponnesian War. Then there were rams for breaking through walls and canopies-turtles, designed to protect against arrows and spears.
It is interesting to know that siege weapons were used not only during the siege of cities, but also in naval battles. This, in turn, led to changes in the design of ships. Instead of old ships, multi-weighted and multi-tiered structures began to be used. The number of tiers on the ship could reach five, eight or more!
The inventions of ancient Greece were not accidentally connected with the war, because at that turbulent time the enemies surrounded on all sides. One of the most powerful siege vehicles was the nine-story helepol. For the movement of this colossus, 3,500 people were required who were engaged in laying roads and arranging ditches, in addition, they cleared the territory for the guns.
Defensive devices were used against the siege equipment of opponents. So, during the siege of Syracuse (213 AD), the inhabitants of the besieged city used mechanical devices developed by Archimedes, hooked Roman ships with strong hooks and drowned them.
Production machinery
Along with the military, other types of equipment developed. In particular, considering the inventions of Ancient Greece, it is worth noting the creation of the Archimedean screw, which was a turning point. Based on it, the so-called Egyptian snail was constructed - a scoop wheel with buckets, which was set in motion due to animal power and a water mill. They began to actively introduce this device in the milling and mining industry - the main sectors of Hellenic production.
Other inventions of ancient Greece are also noteworthy: a water mill, a horizontal loom, and improvement of blacksmith hammers and forges.
A large number of achievements have been made in the areas of paint production, leather dressing and glass blowing.
Science of Ancient Greece
Let's talk about those scientists and inventors who made the greatest contribution to the development of science, not only of Hellas itself, but of the whole world. And there were not so few of them. But we, of course, dwell on the most famous.
Astronomy
The first remarkable person is undoubtedly Thales of Miletus. It is believed that it was this man who was the first to study the movement of the sun in the sky. He also put forward the theory that the moon only reflects light, and eclipses of the sun occur at those moments when a satellite passes between the earth and the celestial body. In addition, Thales suggested using a calendar based on the Egyptian model, in which the year consisted of 365 days, was divided into 12 months with a duration of 30 days each (5 days fell out).
We should also talk about Aristarchus, who is often called the Copernicus of Antiquity. The most famous and only surviving work of this learned husband is the book "On the sizes of the Sun and the Moon and the distances to them." The inventions of ancient Greece, which are attributed to him, are evidence of the motion of the earth around its axis and around the sun. In addition, he is considered the founder of trigonometry and optics.
Hipparchus is another famous ancient Greek scientist who introduced a coordinate network of parallels and meridians to determine the longitude and latitude of a place on Earth. He also compiled the first trigonometric table on the planet, and also learned to predict solar eclipses with an accuracy of an hour.
And yet another philosopher, astronomer and mathematician, Anaxagoras from Clazomen, was accused of godlessness and shamefully cast out for his assumption that the Sun is a giant red-hot mass.
Geography
What else is ancient Greece famous for? The inventions of this civilization still live. For example, Kratet Mullsky (Pergamon) is considered the creator of the first model of the globe.
Maths
One of the most respected sciences in Hellas is mathematics. Archimedes, about which we already spoke above, made a huge number of discoveries in the field of geometry, and also laid the foundations of hydrostatics and mechanics. Thales of Miletus also worked in this area. In particular, it was he who managed to prove several theorems (equality of vertical angles, dividing the circle in half along the diameter line, and others). From school, we all remember the Pythagorean theorem, which was also proved at that time.
Other discoveries of the Greeks
What else is ancient Greece famous for? Achievements and inventions of this country are used even by us. For example, the talented inventor Geron invented a machine for selling sacred water - a prototype of modern coffee machines.
The Hellenes' favorite fun was the mechanical puppet theater, in which all the dolls moved automatically.
Well, if you need to highlight the most ambitious inventions of Ancient Greece, then here, first of all, it is worth recalling the “Heron eolipil” - the first prototype of steam turbines, which appeared 2000 years after the appearance of the toy.