History is full of many ancient civilizations that made great contributions to human civilization. However, few of these civilizations succeeded in putting forward structures, concepts, and inventions as solid as the ancient Greek civilization. So much so that the concepts, systems, and even intellectual forms that emerged in ancient Greece still exist among the building blocks of the modern world despite thousands of years. Ancient Greece still lives on even after thousands of years with the material and spiritual elements it brought to human history. Here are 10 inventions and concepts that appeared in ancient Greek civilization and are still of great interest today.
Democracy is the most common and most compatible form of government in our time. Democracy, which is very important in the life of modern people, appeared in the ancient Greek civilization at the beginning of the 5th century BC.
2. Philosophy
Throughout its history, philosophy, which to a large extent shaped man’s basic thinking practices, was also an ancient Greek innovation. Pre-Socratic thinkers such as Thales and Pythagoras left an important legacy for future generations with their studies in the field of natural philosophy.
In the following period, philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle made important contributions to the legacy of philosophers before them with their analyzes and definitions of many concepts that form the basis of modern human civilization.
3. Engineering
Engineering was known before ancient Greece by ancient civilizations such as Egypt and Babylon. Moreover, it had an important field of application in everyday life. But the emergence of modern geometry occurred in ancient Greece. Philosophers-mathematicians such as Pythagoras, Euclid, and Archimedes pioneered studies that theorized geometry.
4. Mapping
The map did not appear in ancient Greece. But cartography as we know it developed in ancient Greece.
On the “world map” believed to have been made in Babylon between 700 and 500 BC, only a few regions are mapped. However, the ancient Greek philosopher Anaximander was the first person to actually map the world between 610 and 546 BC. For this reason, he was considered the first cartographer in history. In addition, the idea that the Earth has a spherical shape was first developed in ancient Greek civilization.
5. Odometer
This tool, which is found in all cars today, was also invented in ancient Greece. People living in ancient Greece could measure distances between cities or regions. Thus, they succeeded in being one step ahead of their contemporary civilizations in many areas, from city planning to creating war strategy.
The abacus wheel, which is believed to have been invented by Archimedes or the Heron of Alexandria, was incorporated into a means of transportation. Inside the machine, there was a gear system connected to the wheels. When the wheels rotate a certain number of times, the position of the gears changes, and distance measurements can be made by calculating the distance that a wheel’s rotation corresponds to.
6. Water mill
It goes without saying how important water is in human life and that it has many uses in daily life. The ancient Greeks, who were aware of the importance of water, were the people who provided the first examples of water mills.
7. Crane
Ancient Greece was home to many talented philosophers, mathematicians and, of course, engineers. 25 centuries ago, the ancient Greeks, who wanted to move huge concrete blocks, knew there could be a much easier way for this task. As a result, they invented vehicles that were very similar to cranes as we know them today.
8. Medicine
Medical science, which enables humanity to live in the truest sense, was first born in ancient Greece as we know it. Also known as the “Father of Modern Medicine,” Hippocrates was the first person to reject the superstition that diseases are caused by punishment from the gods!
9. Alarm clock
Ctesibios, who lived in ancient Greece in the 3rd century BC, is the name of the one who invented the clock that could measure time as accurately as possible and also sound an alarm. He made it possible for the water clock he had invented to sound the alarm, thanks to the pebbles he inserted into the clock system.
10. Theatre
The theater appeared in Athens, the most important settlement of the ancient Greek civilization, around 700 BC, and it became an important part of daily life through its spread to the four corners of civilization. This ancient art, which emerged in ancient Greece, was so powerful that works produced at that time have gone on to shape understanding of theater and even art in today’s modern world.
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