Herakleidon Museum — Attraction in Athens

The Herakleidon Museum is an interactive center for promoting science and technology. In 2017, I visited an exhibition that presents for the first time some of the remarkable technological achievements of Chinese civilization. Chinese achievements cover a wide range of science, from astronomy and navigation to weaving techniques, paper, printing, seismography and more. Chinese civilization, one of the oldest in the world, has many remarkable achievements in the fields of physical sciences and mechanical engineering. Chinese scientific discoveries and technological inventions cover almost the entire spectrum of sciences - from mathematics, physics, mechanical engineering and astronomy to geophysics, biology, botany, medicine, pharmacy, chemistry and more. Ancient Chinese scientists were the first to observe sunspots, study magnetic phenomena and more. Paper production during the Han Dynasty was one of the most important inventions of ancient Chinese civilization, as were the numerous printing techniques first developed in the 7th century and later spread to Arabia and thence to Africa and Europe. We were incredibly lucky to attend a demonstration of paper production. This presentation allowed us to understand the process of paper production, which is an epoch-making invention in the history of human civilization. As early as the 16th century BC. the Chinese developed innovative methods for weaving silk and from the Han Dynasty (206-220 BC) through the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the famous Chinese silk spread throughout Europe. The Chinese were great astronomers and skilled technicians of astronomical instruments. As early as the 16th century BC, they studied comets, meteors, sunspots, constellations, the sun and the moon. Their calendar is considered a unique combination of the lunar and Gregorian calendars. The compass, one of the most important inventions of ancient Chinese civilization, has been widely used for navigation since 960. and the Yuan dynasties (1271-1368) spread it to Asia and Europe in the 12th century, contributing decisively to the development of trade, finance,...

My husband and I stumbled upon this little museum completely by accident, and it turned out to be one of our favorites as we explored Athens! My second time in the city and my husband's first. The museum educates you about famous Greek inventions. In addition, there are archeology students who are completing an internship. They are milling around free to answer questions and give tours. Fitos graciously spent over two hours with the two of us walking around each exhibit. He was a wealth of knowledge, meticulously explaining each installation to us and anyone else wanting to listen. The information he shared really made the space come alive for us. After the big tourist attractions in Greece, I'd definitely carve out an afternoon for this quaint museum. There are all sorts of cute places to eat lunch afterward. The cost was 12e, show evidence of being an educator and...

Albeit it is a lot smaller than most of the museums we visited in Athens, Herakleidon is probably my favourite. The collection presents ancient technology and machinary invented more than 2 millennia ago. I was blown away by the advance of technology the ancient greeks had. There are a few interactive displays, which you can play with, along with scaled down siege machines, ships and models of constructions. The star of the display for me was the Antikythera Mechanism. It is a prime example of an ancient calendar/ analog computer. It calculates dates, leap years, and reacurring natural phenomena up to day. It is a magnificient example of advanced engineering. I highly recommend this museum, especially to those interested in engineering...