Tag Archives: museums

The Archimedes’ Museum

08 Monday Sep 2014

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Ancient Olympia

Archimedes’ Museum

The Archimedes’ museum in Ancient Olympia

The Archimedes’ museum is permanently hosted in a two-storey building in the center of the city of Ancient Olympia. The Archimedes’ Museum is of the most unique thematic museums in Greece and is dedicated to the great Mathematician, Physicist, Engineer, Astronomer and Inventor in ancient Greece and a genius of the technology of his time. Archimedes passed on great theses of all the ancient sciences and, above all, he became the springboard for the development of modern science. Some of his inventions are in use even today. It is known that Archimedes inspired Da Vinci and even influenced Galileo and Newton.

In the field of mathematics, he invented the infinitesimals and the method of exhaustion, which are the modern Differential and Integral calculus, a numbering system for measuring very large sizes which is similar to the modern exponential – logarithmic system and (without taking into account the recent retrievals from the famous “palimpsest”) he had a “modern” perception of combinatorics and actual infinity that made Leibniz quote, “He who understands Archimedes … will admire less the achievements of the foremost men of later times”.

Similarly, in the field of mechanics, the hydraulic screw, the accurate mechanical planetarium, the winch with gears and endless screw, the dioptra, the odometer, the nautical odometer, the mechanical and the hydraulic paradox, the means to check the purity of gold, the density meter, burning using mirrors, the Roman scale, the giant cranes and the powerful war machines are some of his 24 inventions that are exhibited on the ground floor of the Museum. Located in the central hall is the famous Antikythera mechanism, which recent research has shown indirect fatherhood of the Syracusian man. Also, 24 exceptional inventions from the time of Archimedes, such as the “cinema” and the “robot – servant” of Philon, the most accurate automatic clock, the “hydraulis”, the twin suction force piston pump of Ktesibios, the repeating catapult of Dionysios and more, are exhibited on the first floor of the museum.

The aim of the Archimedes’ museum is to feature, in absolute validity and reliability, this unknown perspective of that great wise man of antiquity and to prove that the technology of the Ancient Greeks during the 3rd century B.C. was shockingly similar to the beginning of our modern technology.

The bolts and nuts, gears and rules, pulleys and belts, sprockets and roller chains, hydraulic controllers and valves, programmers and auto-pilots (which are also parts of the motor in a contemporary automobile), are just some of the inventions of the ancient Greeks which were the foundations of their complex technology. These legacies, identical and irreplaceable, continue today to constitute the building blocks of our modern technology, the development of which would be doubtful without its effortless and undemanding adoption. Only after a millennium of maturation was humanity able to “recover” this remarkable forgotten technology. The exploration of this age, when ownership for peak technology was not claimed, demonstrates, without a doubt, how much more (than we think) the modern Western Technological Civilization owes the Greeks.

The exhibits are accompanied by rich audio-visual material (in Greek and English), such as explanatory labels and giant posters with information, detailed diagrams, photos and complete bibliographical references, while many of the exhibits are interactive. There are projecting stations with video and animation as well as documentaries in which the exhibitor explains the function and the use of the mechanisms. The exhibition (in thematic sections) follows the modern educational perception in Pedagogic and Museum Education so that it acts multileveled, as far as the greatness of ancient Greek technological thought and technique is concerned, in all levels of the educational community and the wider public.

 

Εκλογές vs Ημέρα Μουσείων

20 Tuesday May 2014

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Εκλογές vs Ημέρα Μουσείων

MAY 19, 2014

Η χθεσινή μέρα, ως ημέρα των εκλογών – Δημοτικών και Περιφερειακών – αλλά και ως Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Μουσείων, ήταν μια δύσκολη μέρα. Από τη μια, όλοι όσοι είχαν αποφασίσει να ασκήσουν το εκλογικό τους δικαίωμα και από την άλλη, μια «γιορτή» και μια ευκαιρία για τους Έλληνες, να επισκεφτούν τα Μουσεία και τους Αρχαιολογικούς Χώρους της χώρας για να «κοινωνήσουν» το Αρχαίο Πνεύμα και την Ιστορία μας….

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Παρ’ όλα αυτά, κάποιοι συμπολίτες μας, αφού άσκησαν το εκλογικό τους δικαίωμα, είχαν προβλέψει και την επίσκεψή τους σε κάποιο Μουσείο ή Αρχαιολογικό Χώρο και αυτό είναι ίσως περισσότερο παρήγορο. Υπήρξαν δε και κάποιοι που, που παρ’ όλο που η μέρα ήταν δύσκολη, πήραν την πρωτοβουλία να προσφέρουν τον χρόνο τους και να αξιοποιήσουν όσο το δυνατόν καλύτερα τις γνώσεις τους στους πιο ευαισθητοποιημένους που προγραμμάτισαν να κάνουν και κάτι διαφορετικό εκείνη τη μέρα.

Με μεγάλη μας έκπληξη είδαμε στον Αρχαιολογικό Χώρο της Ολυμπίας, ένα γκρουπ Έλληνες να περιδιαβαίνουν και να ξεναγούνται στις «αρχαίες πέτρες» του Ιερού. Η πρωτοβουλία όπως μάθαμε ανήκει στο ταξιδιωτικό γραφείο «The travel insiders» που εδρεύει στον Πύργο, το οποίο αφιλοκερδώς προσέφερε τη μεταφορά (από τον Πύργο) και την ξενάγηση στους ενδιαφερόμενους. Η πρωτοβουλία αυτή, ιδιαίτερα σε καιρούς που όπως περιγράψαμε πιο πάνω, η καθημερινότητα είναι τόσο μα τόσο αποπνικτική που δύσκολα σου αφήνει περιθώρια να σκεφθείς κάτι εκτός από το πώς θα «τα φέρεις πέρα», είναι κάτι παραπάνω από αξιόλογη. Υπάρχουν ευτυχώς συμπολίτες μας που έχουν συνειδητοποιήσει μερικά πράγματα παραπάνω και που μπορούν με ελάχιστη προσπάθεια να τα κάνουν πράξη. Αξίζουν συγχαρητήρια – και δεν τα απευθύνουμε μόνο στους διοργανωτές – αλλά και σε όλους όσους είχαν το μεράκι και τη διάθεση να βάλουν στο ημερήσιο πρόγραμμά τους και την επίσκεψη στις αρχαιότητες….

continue reading…dioskouroiolympia96

 

 

day trips

23 Sunday Mar 2014

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Ancient Messene

History

Messene was founded in 369 BC by the Theban general Epaminondas following his victory at Leuktra. It was part of the strategic barrier against Sparta, the southernmost of a chain of walled cities including Megalopolis and Argos; these 3 strongholds had to confine Sparta to its own borders once and for all.

In the previous centuries the Spartans had given the Messenians a hard time. Since they were busy with becoming good warriors all the time, they needed other people (servants!) to provide them with their daily bread. In the 8th century BC, they crossed the Taygetos Mountains and invaded the fertile area of Messenia. The people who were living there became slaves and a lot of them fled and settled in other areas all around the Mediterranean. When Sparta was finally defeated in 369 BC, the Theban general Epaminondas invited the Messenians, who had been exiled from the area centuries before, to come back and build the city of dreams!

The ruins might not draw many tourists although it is a remarkable. The charming town of Mavromati sits above the ruins of ancient Messene and provides an exceptional view of the valley all the way to the coast. Systematical excavations of the site began only 25 years ago and continue up to this day.

Site

You will enter this city through one of the original city gates just like ancient travellers did 2300 years ago. The 9 km long city wall is among the best preserved city walls all over Greece. At some points they reach a height of 7 meters.

Once in the archaeological site, take your time to admire the theatre. After 1700 years of silence, the theatre was reopened last summer with a beautiful opera gala. When the archaeologist first started the excavations, they were discouraged. The theatre was practically nonexistent, the only thing left were some retaining walls.

The restoration of the theatre lasted more than 20 years. The archaeologists managed to reunite the scattered pieces and put more than 2000 seats into place. Works at the cavea have not been completed yet. Now it has been restored up to its 15th row. After its completion the capacity is estimated to reach 5000 seats which is half the capacity it had in antiquity.

Other places of interest are the agora, (the town’s large market area), the town’s central shrine and the very impressive stadium and gymnasium which form one architectural unit, an architectural rarity.

From here you will have a breathtaking view over the Messenian plain.

Tip: After your visit of the site, have lunch in the tavern just opposite the spring in the charming town of Mavromati .It is situated  above the ruins of Ancient Messene and provides an exceptional view of the valley all the way to the coast.

pyrgos

19 Wednesday Mar 2014

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Municipal Museum of Pyrgos

Before entering the Municipal Museum of Pyrgos, make sure you walk around this beautiful neoclassical building and admire one of Ernst Ziller’s architectural accomplishments. What used to be the city’s marketplace, now houses many impressive finds from this prefecture.

See the boar’s tusk helmet; a similar one (according to Homer) would have been worn by Odysseus. Admire the costume jewellery from the late bronze era (1600-1200bc). These pieces are 3000 year old but they would sit proudly on the style pages of a glossy magazine.

Other findings really worthy of seeing are the ancient “safety-pins” and the ancient “thylastra”, baby feeding bottles.

ancient elis

18 Tuesday Mar 2014

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Ancient Elis

History

Ancient Elis (58 km from Olympia) was the city which had, under its supervision, the organization of the Olympic Games. One month before the games, all the athletes and trainers had to gather there to train under the supervision of the local judges. They would see if the athletes were good enough, otherwise they were excluded from the Games, and they would divide them into categories. Of course, in those times, they didn’t have birth certificates, so they would determine which category they belonged to from their built and body hair. Two days before the Games began, a procession set out from this city-state and all the athletes and trainers had to walk the whole distance to Olympia (58 km).  Imagine how tiring it must have been to walk such a distance before even competing in the stadium.

This procession was meant as spiritual cleansing, to prepare themselves psychologically for the religious games they were about to take part in.

Site

At the site, the remains are scattered and, with the exception of the theatre, considerably neglected. There are also remains of training facilities, a marketplace (agora) and roman baths.

During the summer a theatre festival takes place here and people from all over the area have the opportunity to watch ancient tragedies, comedies etc. under the moonlight.

Museum

Find out that women in antiquity were just as vain as they are today since a large number of bronze mirrors and jewellery pieces were found in the archaeological site.

olympia

16 Sunday Mar 2014

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Olympia

History

Olympia is the place where the very first Olympic Games were organized. These Games were held in honour of Zeus, once every four years, as part of a religious festival. They were greatly respected and even had the power to suspend wars for a period of three months.

In the beginning these games had a local character and only Greeks from the area of Olympia could take part. Over time, however, they got a Pan-Hellenic character and Greeks from all over the then known Greek world would travel to Olympia in order to be part of this feast. The highest moral award for an Olympic winner was a wreath made out of the branches of a wild olive tree. Victory symbolized by a wreath meant rather more than sponsors, deals and advertising campaigns. The Olympic winners won immortal fame.

The archaeological site

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to run the original Olympic track. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity! Other spots of interests are the training facilities where the athletes would warm up their muscles, the hotel for VIPs’ only and the place where the Olympic flame is lit twice every four years.

The archaeological museum

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia houses the most important finds of the excavations, which began in 1875 by the German archaeologists.

Some of the highlights are the original marble sculptures of the Zeus temple, the metopes of the temple which depict the 12 labours of Hercules (the idol of all muscle –men in ancient times), the Nike statue and the late-classical Hermes statue which has the perfect proportions. Don’t forget to walk around the statue because his “behind” is really worthy of seeing as well. Other finds of interest are the ancient “strigils”, scrapers. In ancient times the athletes would get really dirty since they would rub themselves with olive oil and sand to protect their skin from the sun. After training they would use these scrapers as a kind of peeling.

Hermes of Praxiteles

The museum of the history of the Olympic Games

Here you will find “ancient Playmobil”, small stylized statuettes of animals which were actually the offerings of the poor people. If you didn’t have the money to sacrifice a real animal to Zeus, you could buy a little votive offering at one of the ancient souvenir stands in Olympia and dedicate this to Zeus.

katakolon

14 Friday Mar 2014

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Katakolon

History

Today Katakolon, also known as Katakolo, is a little picturesque fishing village where many cruise ships anchor in order to give their guests the opportunity to visit Olympia. Imagine that all the shops on the main street only open whenever there is a cruise ship. On all other days the shops are closed here and it’s virtually a ghost town.

Until the end of the 19th century, this little harbor was very important for the export of the little black currants to the countries of Western Europe. Unfortunately, the currant trade collapsed and now the package houses which once stored the currants have been converted into souvenir shops.

It was also used as a gateway to Olympia for the early travellers. Oscar Wilde was here and even wrote a beautiful poem as he approached the shore. He came to visit Olympia and claims to have been present the very moment the statue of Hermes was unearthed. This was probably wishful thinking but it is a fact that he was expelled from University since he came back late, from his visit to Olympia, to sign up for the semester.

katakolon-port-history

Museums

Museum of ancient Greek technology

Discover the ancient Greek world as soon as you greet Katakolon Port. Only 150 meters from the pier, you will find the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology. So, take a walk beyond the souvenir shops and take a walk back in time to uncover the mystery of “how it was all done.”  Enjoy live demonstrations of the ancient Greek devices and inventions in this internationally acclaimed museum which functions under the auspices of the Municipality of Pyrgos. Many of the exhibits have been transported for exclusive exhibitions to museums from neighbouring Cyprus to distant Australia. All the exhibits have been constructed by just one man, Kostas Kotsanas, through 20 years of assiduous research and study of the ancient Greek and Latin literature, Arabic manuscripts, vase paintings and the relative archaeological finds.

This unique museum, situated next to the Katakolon railway station, includes approximately 250 functional reproductions of ancient Greek devices and inventions. The complexity will be simplified during the live demonstrations of the wondrous technological achievements of the ancient Greek civilization. The exhibits range from the catapults used by Alexander the Great, the first clock, Plato’s alarm clock and the first automatic vending machine to the first robot, the first “cinema” and the first computing device in history. These exhibits cover the period from 2000 BC to the end of the ancient Greek world. It is the most comprehensive and credible museum of its kind worldwide. Its aim is to prove that the technology of the ancient Greeks, towards the end of their world, was shockingly similar to the beginning of our modern technology.

Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

Museum of ancient Greek musical instruments

This fascinating museum, located next to the Katakolon church, houses 42 ancient Greek musical instruments. Admire the ancient Greek instruments as you listen to an ancient song of love on the hydraulis (ancient organ), observe the harp of Sappho who played as she recited her renowned poems, become enchanted by the myth of Hermes’ lyre, witness the grandeur of Appollo’s guitar, see the stringed instruments which accompanied symposiums and Dionysian rituals and study the monochord of Pythagoras.

THE LYRE of HERMES
HERMES WAS ONE OF THE MANY SONS OF ZEUS AND EVEN AS A BABY IT WAS CLEAR THAT HE WAS GOING TO BE CRAFTY BEYOND COMPARE AND A SLY GOD.
WHILE STILL A TODDLER, HE STROLLED OUTSIDE HIS CAVE SEEKING A PLAYTHING. AFTER FINDING A TORTOISE AND PLAYING WITH IT FOR A DAY (A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A GOD COULD BE EQUIVALENT TO A CENTURY FOR HUMANS), THE TORTOISE, UNFORTUNATELY, DIED. DISTRAUGHT BY HIS LOSS, HE DECIDED TO KEEP HIS COMPANION FOREVER BY TURNING HIM INTO A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. HE THEN TOOK THE SHELL AND A FEW SHEEP INTENSTINES AND CREATED THE LYRE.
APOLLO’S KITHARA (GUITAR)
WHEN HERMES WAS OLDER (PROBABLY A DAY OR SO IN GOD YEARS), HE STOLE SOME OXEN FROM HIS HALF-BROTHER APOLLO AND HID THEM SO WELL THAT APOLLO NEEDED ALL HIS ORACULAR TALENTS AND TECHNIQUES TO FIND THEM. IN THE MEANTIME HE GOT HUNGRY, SLAUGHTERED ONE OF THE OXEN, AND ATE THE MEAT. SOON, APOLLO DISCOVERED HIS WHEREABOUTS AND, OBVIOUSLY ANGRY AS A RAGING BULL, CONFRONTED THE THIEF. HERMES, USING HIS CUNNING INSTINCT, PLAYED A TUNE FOR HIM ON HIS LYRE. DRAWN BY THE BEAUTY OF THE TUNE, APOLLO SOFTED.  HERMES THEN OFFERED APOLLO HIS PRECIOUS LYRE AS A GIFT OF RECONCILIATION. APOLLO THEN DEVELOPED THIS MAGICAL INSTRUMENT FURTHER INTO THE MAJESTIC KITHARA (GUITAR) WE KNOW TODAY.

Experience the hidden gems that await you in Katakolon for a most enthralling and memorable visit.