List of Greek inventions and discoveries

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This article is a list of major inventions and scientific and mathematical discoveries by Greek people from antiquity through the present day.

Inventions[edit]

Technology Date Description
Aqueduct c. 2000 BC Although particularly associated with the Romans, aqueducts were likely first used by the Minoans around 2000 BCE. The Minoans had developed what was then an extremely advanced irrigation system, including several aqueducts.
Aqueductpicture.jpg
Souvlaki 17th century BC Excavations in Santorini, Greece, unearthed sets of stone cooking supports used before the 17th century BC. In the supports there are pairs of indentations that were likely used for holding skewers. The line of holes in the base allowed the coals to be supplied with oxygen.[1] Akrotiri terracotta firedogs with zoomorphic finials.jpg
Bathtub c. 1300 BC The oldest bathtub was found on the island of Crete.
Arch bridge c. 1300 BC Possibly the oldest existing arch bridge is the Mycenaean Arkadiko bridge in Greece from about 1300 BC. The stone corbel arch bridge is still used by the local populace.[2] Arkadiko Mycenaean Bridge II.JPG
Doric order 8th century BC The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek architecture
The Doric columns of the Propylaea of Athens on March 5, 2020.jpg
Olympic Games c. 776 BC The ancient Olympic Games were originally a festival of the god Zeus, observed every four years in Olympia by visitors from all over Greece. Later, events such as a footrace, a javelin contest, and wrestling matches were added, evolving into a series of cut-throat athletic competitions among representatives of the various Greek city-states and one of the Panhellenic Games of ancient Greece. The first Olympics is traditionally dated to 776 BC.[3] Olympia-stadion.jpg
Himation c. 750 BC A himation was a type of clothing, a mantle or wrap worn by ancient Greek men and women from the Archaic through the Hellenistic periods.
Chiton c. 750 BC A chiton is a form of tunic that fastens at the shoulder, worn by men and women of Ancient Greece and Rome.
Discus throw c. 708 BC The sport of throwing the discus traces back to it being an event in the original Olympic Games of Ancient Greece.
Pentathlon c. 708 BC The first documented pentathlon occurred in 708 BC in Ancient Greece at the Ancient Olympic Games, and was also held at the other Panhellenic Games.
Javelin throw c. 708 BC The javelin throw was added to the Ancient Olympic Games as part of the pentathlon in 708 BC. It included two events, one for distance and the other for accuracy in hitting a target.
Teo Takala Javelin.jpg
Evidence-based medicine 7th century BC The Greek medical schools at Knidos and Kos were the first to develop rational theories of disease disconnected from religion and superstition and advocate healing based on empirically verified cures.[4] Medicine aryballos Louvre CA1989-2183 n2.jpg
Surgical instruments 7th century BC Ancient medical treatises including the Hippocratic corpus describe surgical tools used for examining injuries, making small incisions, removing arrowheads, gynecological examinations, abortions, tooth extraction, and removing bladder stones. Surgical tools, 5th century BC, Greece (reconstruction).jpg
Curtain 7th century BC Oldest curtains found in excavation sites at Olynthus, Greece.
Paris Palais du Louvre Appartements Napoléon III curtains.jpg
Pankration c. 648 BC The mainstream academic view has been that pankration developed in the archaic Greek society of the 7th century BC, whereby, as the need for expression in violent sport increased, pankration filled a niche of "total contest" that neither boxing nor wrestling could. However, some evidence suggests that pankration, in both its sporting form and its combative form, may have been practiced in Greece already from the second millennium BC.
02 2020 Grecia photo Paolo Villa FO190082 (Museo archeologico di Atene) Base per la statua di un Kouros atleta funerario in marmo pentelico (dettaglio solo fronte parte centrale) NAMA 3476 Circa 510 a.C. file originale.jpg
Geography 6th century BC Building on the mapmaking practices of the Near East,[5] the philosopher Anaximander, a student of Thales, was the first known person to produce a scale map of the known world,[6] while some decades later Hecataeus of Miletus was the first to combine map-making with vivid descriptions of the people and landscapes of each location, taken from interviews with sailors and other travellers,[7] initiating a field of study which Eratosthenes later named γεωγραφία (geography).[8] Anaximander world map-en.svg
Railway 6th century BC The 6 to 8.5 km long Diolkos represented a rudimentary form of railway.[9] Diolkos1.jpg
Ionic order 6th century BC The Ionic order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek architecture.
Ionic order.svg
Paleontology 6th century BC The ancient Greek philosopher Xenophanes concluded from fossil sea shells that some areas of land were once under water.
Picturething.jpg
Caliper 6th century BC. Earliest example found in the Giglio wreck near the Italian coast. The wooden piece already featured one fixed and a movable jaw.[10][11] Calibro archetto graduato.JPG
Theatre 6th century BC Theatre, in its modern sense, involving the performance of pre-written tragic, dramatic and comedic plays for an audience, first originated in Classical Athens in the 6th century BC.[12]
Greektrajedyandcomedymaks.jpg
Aulos 6th century BC Ancient Greek wind instrument
Sherpherd aulos Louvre G536 glare reduced.png
Truss roof c. 550 BC[13] See List of Greco-Roman roofs. Agrigent Model Zeus-Tempel.jpg
Crane c. 515 BC Labor-saving device that allowed the employment of small and efficient work teams on construction sites. Later winches were added for heavy weights.[14] Trispastos scheme.svg
Democracy c. 508 BC Led by Cleisthenes, Athenians established what is generally held as the first democracy in 508–507 BC. Cleisthenes is referred to as "the father of Athenian democracy."[15] Discurso funebre pericles.PNG
Peplos c. 500 BC A peplos is a body-length garment established as typical attire for women in ancient Greece by 500 BC.
Mathematical Mechanics 5th century BC Archytas is believed to be the founder of mathematical mechanics.
EB1911 - Mechanics - Fig. 1.jpg
Musical theatre 5th century BC The antecedents of musical theatre in Europe can be traced back to the theatre of ancient Greece, where music and dance were included in stage comedies and tragedies during the 5th century BCE.
Greekmusical.jpg
Corinthian order 5th century BC The Corinthian order is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.
Corinthian order. Helsinki Lutheran Cathedral.JPG
Ballista 5th century BC Greek missile weapon.
Anthropology 5th century BC Many anthropological writers find anthropological-quality theorizing in the works of Classical Greece and Classical Rome
Geomorphology 5th century BC The study of landforms and the evolution of the Earth's surface can be dated back to scholars of Classical Greece. Herodotus argued from observations of soils that the Nile delta was actively growing into the Mediterranean Sea, and estimated its age. Aristotle speculated that due to sediment transport into the sea, eventually those seas would fill while the land lowered. He claimed that this would mean that land and water would eventually swap places, whereupon the process would begin again in an endless cycle.
Geomorphology in miniature, Gossa Water - geograph.org.uk - 1824654.jpg
Sociology 5th century BC The sociological reasoning may be traced back at least as far as the ancient Greeks. Social analysis has origins in the common stock of Western knowledge and philosophy and ancient Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
Socrates Address by Belgian artist Louis Joseph Lebrun, 1867.jpg
Physiology 5th century BC The study of human physiology as a medical field originates in classical Greece, at the time of Hippocrates.
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Planetary science 5th century BC The history of planetary science may be said to have begun with the Ancient Greek philosopher Democritus.
North America from low orbiting satellite Suomi NPP.jpg
Physical therapy 5th century BC Physicians like Hippocrates and later Galen are believed to have been the first practitioners of physical therapy, advocating massage, manual therapy techniques and hydrotherapy to treat people in 460 BC.
Climatology 5th century BC The Greeks began the formal study of climate; in fact the word climate is derived from the Greek word klima, meaning "slope," referring to the slope or inclination of the Earth's axis. Arguably the most influential classic text on climate was On Airs, Water and Places written by Hippocrates around 400 BCE.
Present and future worldwide Köppen-Geiger climate-zone classification maps.png
Epidemiology 5th century BC The Greek physician Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, sought a logic to sickness; he is the first person known to have examined the relationships between the occurrence of disease and environmental influences.
Hippocrates.jpg
Historiography 5th century BC The earliest chronologies date back to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, in the form of chronicles and annals. By contrast, the term "historiography" is taken to refer to written history recorded in a narrative format for the purpose of informing future generations about events. In this limited sense, "ancient history" begins with the early historiography of Classical Antiquity, in about the 5th century BCE.
Thucydides at Exterior of the Austrian Parliament Building.jpg
Ecology 5th century BC Ancient Greek philosophers such as Hippocrates and Aristotle were among the first to record observations on natural history. However, they viewed life in terms of essentialism. Early conceptions of ecology, such as a balance and regulation in nature can be traced to Herodotus, who described one of the earliest accounts of mutualism in his observation of "natural dentistry".
North America from low orbiting satellite Suomi NPP.jpg
Winch 5th century BC The earliest literary reference to a winch can be found in the account of Herodotus of Halicarnassus on the Persian Wars (Histories 7.36), where he describes how wooden winches were used to tighten the cables for a pontoon bridge across the Hellespont in 480 BC. Winches may have been employed even earlier in Assyria, though. By the 4th century BC, winch and pulley hoists were regarded by Aristotle as common for architectural use (Mech. 18; 853b10-13).[16] Winch.PNG
Cheesecake 5th century BC The earliest attested mention of a cheesecake is by the Greek physician Aegimus (5th century BCE), who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes (πλακουντοποιικόν σύγγραμμα—plakountopoiikon sungramma).
My first cheesecake cropped.jpg
Marathon c. 490 BC The name Marathon comes from the legend of Philippides (or Pheidippides), the Greek messenger. The legend states that, while he was taking part in the battle of Marathon, he witnessed a Persian vessel changing its course towards Athens as the battle was near a victorious end for the Greek army. He interpreted this as an attempt by the defeated Persians to rush into the Greek capital and claim a false victory in the Battle of Marathon, which took place in August or September, 490 BC, hence claiming their authority over Greek land. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping, discarding his weapons and even clothes to lose as much weight as possible, and burst into the assembly, exclaiming νενικήκαμεν (nenikēkamen, "we have won!"), before collapsing and dying. The account of the run from Marathon to Athens first appears in Plutarch's On the Glory of Athens in the 1st century AD, which quotes from Heraclides Ponticus's lost work, giving the runner's name as either Thersipus of Erchius or Eucles.
Samarkand Half Marathon 1.jpg
Spiral staircase c. 480–470 BC The earliest spiral staircases appear in Temple A in Selinunte, Sicily, to both sides of the cella. The temple was constructed around 480–470 BC.[17] Plan of ground floor of Temple A at Selinunte (c. 480 BC). The remains of the two spiral stairs between the pronao and the cella are the oldest known to date.
Headband c. 475 BC The beginning of headbands was no later than around 475 BC to 330 BC, with the ancient Greeks, who wore hair wreaths.
Headbands brown with comb and red with dots.jpg
Helepolis 4th century BC Greek siege tower.
HelepolisGreek.jpg
Flying machine 4th century BC As only described in the writings of Aulus Gellius five centuries after him, he was reputed to have designed and built the first artificial, self-propelled flying device, a bird-shaped model propelled by a jet of what was probably steam, said to have actually flown some 200 meters.[18]
Morphology 4th century BC Concept of form in biology, opposed to function, dates back to Aristotle
Aristotle Altemps Inv8575.jpg
Cetology 4th century BC Observations about Cetacea have been recorded since at least classical times. Ancient Greek fishermen created an artificial notch on the dorsal fin of dolphins entangled in nets so that they could tell them apart years later.
The Cetacea.jpg
Biochemistry 4th century BC At its most comprehensive definition, biochemistry can be seen as a study of the components and composition of living things and how they come together to become life. In this sense, the history of biochemistry may therefore go back as far as the ancient Greeks.
Marine biology 4th century BC The study of marine biology dates back to Aristotle (384–322 BC), who made many observations of life in the sea around Lesbos, laying the foundation for many future discoveries.
Hawaii turtle 2.JPG
Political science 4th century BC As a social political science, contemporary political science started to take shape in the latter half of the 19th century. At that time it began to separate itself from political philosophy, which traces its roots back to the works of Aristotle and Plato.
Shower 4th century BC The Ancient Greeks were the first known people to have showers, which were connected to their lead pipe plumbing system. A shower room for female athletes with plumbed-in water is depicted on an Athenian vase. A whole complex of shower-baths was also found in a 2nd-century BC gymnasium at Pergamum.[19] Women bathing in a public gymnasium. Gouache painting. Wellcome V0020000.jpg
Streets 4th century BC Example: The Porta Rosa (4th–3rd century BC) was the main street of Elea (Italy) and connected the northern quarter to the southern quarter. The street is 5 meters wide. At its steepest, it has an inclination of 18%. It is paved with limestone blocks, grinders cut in square blocks, and on one side a small gutter for the drainage of rain water. The building is dated during the time of the reorganization of the city during Hellenistic age. (4th to 3rd centuries BC) Greek street - III century BC - Porta Rosa - Velia - Italy.JPG
Geology 4th century BC The study of the physical material of the Earth dates back at least to ancient Greece when Theophrastus (372–287 BCE) wrote the work Peri Lithon (On Stones).
1875 Dumont's geological map of Europe.jpg
Aerodynamics 4th century BC Modern aerodynamics only dates back to the seventeenth century, but aerodynamic forces have been harnessed by humans for thousands of years in sailboats and windmills. Fundamental concepts of continuum, drag, and pressure gradients appear in the work of Aristotle and Archimedes.
Zoology 4th century BC Although the concept of zoology as a single coherent field arose much later, the zoological sciences emerged from natural history reaching back to the biological works of Aristotle and Galen in the ancient Greco-Roman world.
Equus zebra hartmannae - Etosha 2015.jpg
Catapult c. 399 BC The historian Diodorus Siculus mentions the invention of a mechanical arrow-firing catapult (katapeltikon) by a Greek task force in 399 BC.* Campbell, Duncan (2003), Greek and Roman Artillery 399 BC – AD 363, Oxford: Osprey, p. 3, ISBN 1-84176-634-8 Ancient Mechanical Artillery. Pic 01.jpg
Central heating c. 350 BC The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was warmed by heated air that was circulated through flues laid in the floor, the first known central heating system. Central heating of buildings was later employed throughout the Greek world. Practical steam and hot water heating and ventilation (1908) (14742325156).jpg
Lead sheathing c. 350 BC To protect a ship's hull from boring creatures. See Kyrenia ship. Kyrenia ship.jpg
Hydrometer 3rd century BC The hydrometer dates to Archimedes who used its principles to find the density of various liquids.
Cannon 3rd century BC Ctesibius of Alexandria invented a primitive form of the cannon, operated by compressed air.
Disability ramp 3rd century BC Oldest disability ramp found in Greece for people with trouble walking. [20]
Cybernetics 3rd century BC Ktesibios and others such as Heron are considered to be some of the first to study cybernetic principles.
Elevator 3rd century BC The earliest known reference to an elevator is in the works of the Roman architect Vitruvius, who reported that Archimedes built his first elevator probably in 236 BC.
U-Bahn Berlin Alexanderplatz Elevator.JPG
Canal lock 3rd century BC Built into Ancient Suez Canal under Ptolemy II (283–246 BC).[21][22][23]
Ancient Suez Canal 3rd century BC Opened by Greek engineers under Ptolemy II (283–246 BC), following earlier, probably only partly successful attempts.[24]
Anemoscope 3rd century BC Timosthenes invented the anemoscope.[25]
Escapement 3rd century BC Described by the Greek engineer Philo of Byzantium (3rd century BC) in his technical treatise Pneumatics (chapter 31) as part of a washstand automaton for guests washing their hands. Philon's comment that "its construction is similar to that of clocks" indicates that such escapement mechanisms were already integrated in ancient water clocks.[26]
Picturegreekwiki.gif
Lighthouse 3rd century BC According to Homeric legend, Palamidis of Nafplio invented the first lighthouse, although they are certainly attested with the Lighthouse of Alexandria (designed and constructed by Sostratus of Cnidus) and the Colossus of Rhodes. However, Themistocles had earlier established a lighthouse at the harbor of Piraeus connected to Athens in the 5th century BC, essentially a small stone column with a fire beacon.[27] PHAROS2006.jpg
Archimedes' screw 3rd century BC This device, capable of lifting solid or liquid substances from a lower plane to a higher elevation, is traditionally attributed to the Greek mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse.[28][29] Archimedes-screw one-screw-threads with-ball 3D-view animated small.gif
Astrolabe 3rd century BC First used around 300 BC by astronomers in Greece. Used to determine the altitude of objects in the sky.[30][31] NAMA Machine d'Anticythère 1.jpg
Water wheel 3rd century BC First described by Philo of Byzantium (c. 280–220 BC). The ancient Greeks invented the waterwheel and were, along with the Romans, the first to use it in nearly all of the forms and functions described above, including its application for watermilling. The technological breakthrough occurred in the technically advanced and scientifically minded Hellenistic period between the 3rd and 1st century BC.[32]
UnionvillePlaningMill waterwheel looped.gif
Alarm clock 3rd century BC The Hellenistic engineer and inventor Ctesibius (fl. 285–222 BC) fitted his clepsydras with a dial and pointer for indicating the time, and added elaborate "alarm systems, which could be made to drop pebbles on a gong, or blow trumpets (by forcing bell-jars down into water and taking the compressed air through a beating reed) at pre-set times" (Vitruv 11.11).[33]
Odometer 3rd century BC Odometer, a device used in the late Hellenistic time and by Romans for indicating the distance travelled by a vehicle. It was invented sometime in the 3rd century BC. Some historians attribute it to Archimedes, others to Heron of Alexandria. It helped revolutionize the building of roads and travelling by them by accurately measuring distance and being able to carefully illustrate this with a milestone.
Chain drive 3rd century BC First described by Philo of Byzantium, the device powered a repeating crossbow, the first known of its kind.[34]
Gimbal 3rd century BC The inventor Philo of Byzantium (280–220 BC) described an eight-sided ink pot with an opening on each side, which can be turned so that any face is on top, dip in a pen and ink it-yet the ink never runs out through the holes of the side. This was done by the suspension of the inkwell at the center, which was mounted on a series of concentric metal rings which remained stationary no matter which way the pot turns itself.[35] Rotating gimbal-xyz.gif
Cameo (carving) 3rd century BC A method of carving originating in Greece.
Great Cameo of France-removebg.png
Double-action principle 3rd century BC Universal mechanical principle that was discovered and first applied by the engineer Ctesibius in his double action piston pump, which was later developed further by Heron to a fire hose (see below).[36]
Levers c. 260 BC First described about 260 BC by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes. Although used in prehistoric times, they were first put to practical use for more developed technologies in Ancient Greece.[37]
Water mill c. 250 BC The use of water power was pioneered by the Greeks: The earliest mention of a water mill in history occurs in Philo's Pneumatics, previously been regarded as a later Arabic interpolation, but according to recent research to be of authentic Greek origin.[38][39]
Three-masted ship (mizzen) c. 240 BC First recorded for Syracusia as well as other Syracusan (merchant) ships under Hiero II of Syracuse.[40]
Fore-and-aft rig (spritsail) 2nd century BC Spritsails, the earliest fore-and-aft rigs, appeared in the 2nd century BC in the Aegean Sea on small Greek craft.[41] Here a spritsail used on a Roman merchant ship (3rd century AD).
Air and water pumps 2nd century BC Ctesibius and various other Greeks of Alexandria of the period developed and put to practical use various air and water pumps which served a variety of purposes,[42] such as a water organ and, by the 1st century AD, Heron's fountain.
Sakia gear 2nd century BC First appeared in 2nd-century BC Hellenistic Egypt, where pictorial evidence already showed it fully developed.[43]
Surveying tools 2nd century BC Various records relating to mentions of surveying tools have been discovered, mostly in Alexandrian sources, these greatly helped the development of the precision of Roman aqueducts.
Analog computers c. 150 BC In 1900–1901, the Antikythera mechanism was found in the Antikythera wreck. It is thought that this device was an analog computer designed to calculate astronomical positions and was used to predict lunar and solar eclipses based on Babylonian arithmetic-progression cycles. Whereas the Antikythera mechanism is considered a proper analog computer, the astrolabe (also invented by the Greeks) may be considered as a forerunner.[44] NAMA Machine d'Anticythère 1.jpg
Differential gears c. 100-70 BC The Antikythera mechanism, from the Roman-era Antikythera wreck, employed a differential gear to determine the angle between the ecliptic positions of the sun and moon, and thus the phase of the moon.[45][46] Antikythera mechanism.svg
Screw press 1st century BC The screw press, probably invented in Greece in the 1st or 2nd century BC, has been used since the days of the Roman Empire for pressing clothes.
PSM V40 D329 Wilkes screw tile press.jpg
Fire hose 1st century BC Invented by Heron in the basis of Ctesibius' double action piston pump.[36] Allowed for more efficient fire fighting.
Vending machine 1st century BC The first vending machine was described by Heron of Alexandria. His machine accepted a coin and then dispensed a fixed amount of holy water. When the coin was deposited, it fell upon a pan attached to a lever. The lever opened up a valve, which let some water flow out. The pan continued to tilt with the weight of the coin until it fell off, at which point a counter-weight would snap the lever back up and turn off the valve.[36]
Syringe 1st century BC The ancient Greeks and Romans knew injection as a method of medicinal delivery from observations of snakebites and poisoned weapons.
Syringe with Certolizumab pegol-1800.jpg
Wind vane 50 BC The Tower of the Winds on the Roman agora in Athens featured atop a wind vane in the form of a bronze Triton holding a rod in his outstretched hand rotating to the wind blowing. Below, its frieze was adorned with the eight wind deities. The 8 m high structure also featured sundials and a water clock inside dates from around 50 BC.[47]
Clock tower 50 BC See Clock tower.[48] Tower of the Winds
Alchemy 1st century AD Alchemy, a forerunner or Chemistry has its origin in Hellenistic Egypt.
Alchemy of Happiness.png
Visual aid device 1st century AD The precursor of glasses are the visual aid devices of ancient Greece. Scattered evidence exists for use of visual aid devices in Greek and Roman times, most prominently the use of an emerald by emperor Nero as mentioned by Pliny the Elder
Steam Engine 1st century AD The aeolipile is a simple bladeless radial steam turbine which spins when the central water container is heated. Torque is produced by steam jets exiting the turbine, much like a tip jet. Hero of Alexandria first described the aeolipile in the 1st century AD and many sources give him the credit for its invention.[49][50] Aeolipile illustration.png
Toxicology 1st century AD Dioscorides, a Greek physician in the court of the Roman emperor Nero, made the first attempt to classify plants according to their toxic and therapeutic effect.
Mentha arvensis - põldmünt Keila.jpg
Automatic doors 1st century AD Heron of Alexandria, a 1st-century AD inventor from Alexandria, Egypt, created schematics for automatic doors to be used in a temple with the aid of steam power.[36]
Thesaurus 1st century AD In antiquity, Philo of Byblos authored the first text that could now be called a thesaurus.
Algebra 2nd century AD Diophantus was an Alexandrian Greek mathematician and the author of a series of books called Arithmetica. These texts deal with solving algebraic equations,[51] and have led, in number theory to the modern notion of Diophantine equation. In the context where algebra is identified with the theory of equations, Diophantus is credited as its inventor and thus the "father of algebra".[52]
Brain surgery c. 500 AD Adelphi University reported that ten sets of skeletal remains, among them six men and four women, all of them believed to be of high social standing, were discovered on the island of Thasos in the North Aegean Sea, with the remains dated back to the Proto-Byzantine period and showing signs of a complex form of brain surgery being performed on one of the individuals.[53]
Pointed arch bridge 5th century AD The earliest known bridge resting on a pointed arch is the 5th or 6th century AD Karamagara Bridge in Cappadocia.[54] Its single arch of 17 m spanned an affluent of the Euphrates.[55] A Greek inscription, citing from the Bible, runs along one side of its arch rib.[56] The structure is today submerged by the Keban Reservoir.[57]
Greek fire c. 672 AD Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire that was first developed c. 672. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect, as it could continue burning while floating on water. Greekfire-madridskylitzes1.jpg
Flamethrower 7th century AD Greek fire, heated in a brazier and pressurized by means of a pump, was ejected by an operator through a siphon in any direction against the enemy.[58] Alternatively, it could be poured down from swivel cranes or hurled in pottery grenades.[59] Hand-siphon for Greek fire, medieval illumination (detail).jpg
Grenades 8th century AD Grenades appeared not long after the reign of Leo III (717–741), when Byzantine soldiers learned that Greek fire could not only be projected by flamethrowers, but also be thrown in stone and ceramic jars.[60] Larger containers were hurled by catapults or trebuchets at the enemy, either ignited before release or set alight by fire arrows after impact.[61] Grenades were later adopted for use by Muslim armies: Vessels of the characteristic spheroconical shape which many authors identify as grenade shells were found over much of the Islamic world.[62] Liquid fire granades Chania.jpg
Optical telegraph c. 840 AD In the 9th century, during the Arab–Byzantine wars, the Byzantine Empire used a system of beacons to transmit messages from the border with the Abbasid Caliphate across Asia Minor to the Byzantine capital, Constantinople.The main line of beacons stretched over some 450 miles (720 km). In the open spaces of central Asia Minor, the stations were placed over 60 miles (97 km) apart, while in Bithynia, with its more broken terrain, the intervals were reduced to ca. 35 miles (56 km). Based on modern experiments, a message could be transmitted the entire length of the line within an hour.[63] The system was reportedly devised in the reign of Emperor Theophilos (ruled 829–842) by Leo the Mathematician, and functioned through two identical water clocks placed at the two terminal stations, Loulon and the Lighthouse. Different messages were assigned to each of twelve hours, so that the lighting of a bonfire on the first beacon on a particular hour signalled a specific event and was transmitted down the line to Constantinople.[63] Byzantine beacon system.svg
Hand trebuchet c. 965 AD The hand-trebuchet (cheiromangana) was a staff sling mounted on a pole using a lever mechanism to propel projectiles. Basically a portable trebuchet which could be operated by a single man, it was advocated by emperor Nikephoros II Phokas around 965 to disrupt enemy formations in the open field. It was also mentioned in the Taktika of general Nikephoros Ouranos (ca. 1000), and listed in the Anonymus De obsidione toleranda as a form of artillery.[64]
Feta 10th century Feta cheese, specifically, is first recorded in the Byzantine Empire in Avicenna's Poem on Medicine under the name prósphatos (Greek: πρόσφατος, "recent" or "fresh"), and was produced by the Cretans and the Vlachs of Thessaly.[65] Feta Cheese.jpg
Counterweight Trebuchet 12th century The earliest written record of the counterweight trebuchet, a vastly more powerful design than the simple traction trebuchet,[66] appears in the work of the 12th-century historian Niketas Choniates. Niketas describes a stone projector used by future emperor Andronikos I Komnenos at the siege of Zevgminon in 1165. This was equipped with a windlass, an apparatus required neither for the traction nor hybrid trebuchet to launch missiles. Trebuchet.jpg
Tsipouro 14th century The first production of tsipouro was the work of Greek Orthodox monks in the 14th century on Mount Athos in Macedonia, Greece.[67] Tsipouro.JPG
Metaxa 1888 Metaxa is a Greek spirit invented by Spyros Metaxas in 1888. It is exported to over 65 countries and it is among the 100 strongest spirit brands worldwide.[68]
Bouzouki 1919 Popular musical instrument in Greece.
Bouzouki tetrachordo horizontal.jpg
Pap smear 1923 A test for cervical cancer developed by the Greek physician George Papanikolaou in 1923.[69] High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion.jpg
Frappé coffee 1957 The Greek version of café frappé, using instant coffee, was invented in 1957 at the Thessaloniki International Fair.[70] Greek Frappe.jpg
Mini 1959 This distinctive two-door car was designed for the British Motor Corporation by Greek engineer Sir Alec Issigonis.[71] His grandfather Demosthenis migrated to Smyrna from Paros in Greece in the 1830s and through the work he did for the British-built Smyrna-Aydın Railway. Thinktank Birmingham - Issigonis A.jpg
Caller ID 1968 In 1968, Theodore Paraskevakos, while working in as a communications engineer for SITA in Athens, Greece, began developing a system to automatically identify a telephone caller to a call recipient. Developing the method for the basis for modern-day Caller ID technology.[72] Caller ID receiver.jpg
Libor 1969 The London Inter-bank Offered Rate interest rate benchmark was devised by Greek banker Minos Zombanakis.[73][74] Londres 353.jpg
BlackBerry 1996 Greek-Canadian businessman Mike Lazaridis founded BlackBerry, which created and manufactures the BlackBerry wireless handheld device. Lazaridis served in various positions including Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of BlackBerry from 1984 to 2012 and Board Vice Chair and Chair of the Innovation Committee from 2012 to 2013.[75] BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry Classic.jpg
Epi-LASIK eye surgery 2000 Greek ophthalmologist Ioannis Pallikaris, who was the first person to perform LASIK eye surgery in 1989,[76] developed the improved epi-LASIK technique at the University of Crete.[77] US Navy 070501-N-5319A-007 Capt. Joseph Pasternak, an ophthalmology surgeon at National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, lines up the laser on Marine Corps Lt. Col. Lawrence Ryder's eye before beginning LASIK IntraLase surgery.jpg

Discoveries made by Greek[edit]

Mathematics[edit]

Natural sciences[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ To Vima (in Greek), 6-2-2011 (picture 2 of 7)
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Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]