Greek inventions and discoveries are objects, processes or techniques invented, innovated or discovered, partially or entirely, by Greeks.
Greek people have made major innovations to mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, engineering, architecture, and medicine. Other major Greek contributions include being the birth of Western civilization, democracy, Western literature, history,Myres, John. Herodotus, Father of History. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1953. Web. 25 June 2012. Western logic, political science, physics, theatre, comedy, drama, tragedy, lyric poetry, biology, Western sculpture, Olympic Games, Western philosophy, ancient Greek law, Greek mythology, Greek food and the Greek Alphabet.
The following is a list of inventions, innovations or discoveries known or generally recognized to be Greek.
Alphabetical list of Greek inventions .............................
A Acrolith: An acrolith is a composite sculpture made of stone together with other materials such as wood or inferior stone such as limestone, as in the case of a figure whose clothed parts are made of wood, while the exposed flesh parts such as head, hands, and feet are made of marble. The wood was covered either by drapery or by gilding. This type of statuary was common and widespread in Classical antiquity. Aerodynamics: 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. Air and water pumps: 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, such as a water organ and, by the 1st century AD, Heron's fountain. Alarm clock: 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). Alchemy: Alchemy, a forerunner of chemistry, has its origin in Hellenistic Egypt. Algebra: Diophantus was an Alexandrian Greek mathematician and the author of a series of books called Arithmetica. These texts deal with solving algebraic equations, 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". Analog computer: 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. Anarchism: anarchic attitudes were first articulated by tragedians such as Aeschylus and Sophocles who used the myth of Antigone to illustrate the conflict between rules set by the state and personal autonomy. Ancient Suez Canal: Opened by Greek engineers under Ptolemy II (283–246 BC), following earlier, probably only partly successful attempts. Anemoscope: Timosthenes invented the anemoscope. Arch bridge: 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. Archimedes' heat ray: is a device that Archimedes is purported to have used to burn attacking Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse (). It does not appear in the surviving works of Archimedes and is described by historians writing many years after the siege. Aqueduct: 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. Aqueduct (bridge): first built by the Minoans. Artificial Intelligence: Despite the Legends and Myths of the Greek Mythologies, Many ancient Greeks believed that many modern mechanisms could have their own will despite human labor to use them as tools. Many Greeks had Written stories that believe that intelligent mechanisms could pose a danger to human society thanks to the stories of Talos, Pandora, Pygmalion, Galatea and the Golden Maidens of the Greek god Hephaestus. By the year 3rd century BC, The first Artificial Intelligent Robot was created as a maiden named Philon by an unknown Greek Engineer marking the permanent beginning footsteps of Artificial Intelligence itself. Askomandoura: a type of bagpipe played as a traditional instrument on the Greek island of Crete, similar to the tsampouna. Association football: the earliest sports resembling association football are the ancient Greek games Phaininda and episkyros. Astrolabe: First used around 300 BC by astronomers in Greece. Used to determine the altitude of objects in the sky. Aulos: Ancient Greek wind instrument. Automata theory: Automata theory is the study of abstract machines and automata, as well as the computational problems that can be solved using them. It is a theory in theoretical computer science. The word automata comes from the Greek word αὐτόματος, which means "self-acting, self-willed, self-moving". An automaton (automata in plural) is an abstract self-propelled computing device which follows a predetermined sequence of operations automatically. Automaton: An automaton (automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, robot, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automaton Automatic doors: 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. Automation: Ctesibius described a float regulator for a water clock, a device not unlike the ball and cock in a modern flush toilet. This was the earliest feedback controlled mechanism.
B Baglamas: long necked bowl-lute, is a plucked string instrument used in Greek music; it is a smaller version of the bouzouki pitched an octave higher (nominally D-A-D), with unison pairs on the four highest strings and an octave pair on the lower D. Ballista: Greek missile weapon. Bathtub: The oldest bathtub was found on the island of Crete. Biochemistry: 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. BlackBerry: Greek-Canadian businessman Mike Lazaridis founded BlackBerry, which created and manufactured the BlackBerry wireless hand-held 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. Black-figure pottery: one of the principal styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BC, although there are specimens dating as late as the 2nd century BC. Bouzouki: Popular musical instrument in Greece. Body Armor: The Dendra panoply or Dendra armour is an example of Mycenaean-era panoply (full-body armor) made of bronze plates uncovered in the village of Dendra in the Argolid, Greece.
C
Calipers: Earliest example found in the Giglio wreck near the Italian coast. The wooden piece already featured one fixed and a movable jaw. Calisthenics: a form of strength training that originated in ancient Greece. Caller ID: 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. Cameo (carving): A method of carving originating in Greece. Canal Lock: Built into Ancient Suez Canal under Ptolemy II. Cannon: Ctesibius of Alexandria invented a primitive form of the cannon, operated by compressed air. Catapult: The historian Diodorus Siculus mentions the invention of a mechanical arrow-firing catapult. Cella: The inner chamber of an ancient Greek or Roman temple in classical antiquity. Cement: cement, chemically speaking, is a product that includes lime as the primary binding ingredient. Lime (calcium oxide) was used on Crete and by the ancient Greeks. There is evidence that the Minoans of Crete used crushed potsherds as an artificial pozzolan for hydraulic cement. Nobody knows who first discovered that a combination of hydrated non-hydraulic lime and a pozzolan produces a hydraulic mixture (see also: Pozzolanic reaction), but such concrete was used by the Ancient Macedonians, and three centuries later on a large scale by Roman engineers. Central heating: 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. Cetology: 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. Chain drive: First described by Philo of Byzantium, the device powered a repeating crossbow, the first known of its kind. Cheesecake: The earliest attested mention of a cheesecake is by the Greek physician Aegimus who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes. Chelys: a stringed musical instrument, the common lyre of the ancient Greeks, which had a convex back of tortoiseshell or of wood shaped like the shell. The word chelys was used in allusion to the oldest lyre of the Greeks, which was said to have been invented by Hermes. According to the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, he came across a tortoise near the threshold of his mother's home and decided to hollow out the shell to make the soundbox of an instrument with seven strings. Chiton (costume): A chiton is a form of tunic that fastens at the shoulder, worn by men and women of Ancient Greece and Rome. Chryselephantine sculpture: sculpture made with gold and ivory. Chryselephantine cult statues enjoyed high status in Ancient Greece. Cithara: An ancient Greek musical instrument in the yoke lutes family. In modern Greek the word kithara has come to mean "guitar", a word which etymologically stems from kithara. The kithara was a seven-stringed professional version of the lyre, which was regarded as a rustic, or folk instrument, appropriate for teaching music to beginners. As opposed to the simpler lyre, the kithara was primarily used by professional musicians, called kitharodes. The kithara's origins are likely Anatolian. Popular in the eastern Aegean and ancient Anatolia. Classical kemençe: it was mainly used by Greek immigrants from Asia Minor and in classical Ottoman music.