Sightseeing in Katakolon

Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Katakolon

The Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Katakolon is a small museum founded by Kostas Kotsanas.

The Museum of Ancient Greek Technology is located at a close proximity to the main port of Katakolon, almost 500m away from the mooring area. It is a small museum that houses a collection of inventions made by Greeks from 2000 to 1000 BC.

The impressive exhibition of this museum in Katakolon includes 250 operating models of inventions and machines used by the Greeks 4000 years ago. All of them were constructed by K. Kotsanas himself, without any grands or subsidy by private and public institutions.

Kostas Kotsanas has also founded the Museum of Ancient Greek Musical Instruments, Toys & Games, which functions under the auspices of the Municipality of Pyrgos.

The exhibits in these 2 museums in Katakolon are accompanied by additional audiovisual material, photos, diagrams and extra information in both Greek and English. There are also some projecting stations with animation and video where professionals and the exhibitor himself provide explanations on the  use and function of the machines.

The Exhibits at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology In Katakolon

ancient greek technology museum in katakolon
Exhibits in the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Katakolon

The exhibits in the museums are categorized in thematic units, aiming at denoting the concept behind the techniques involved in the development of ancient Greek technology.

The main goal of the exhibition in both museums is to make this technology known to the Greek and foreign visitors of Katakolon , since most people seem to ignore that Greeks had devised some automobiles with auto drive, hydraulic valves and gearboxes. Moreover, Greeks had utilized measuring instruments that allowed them to calculate the distance between the earth and sun, the diameter of the earth and more.

Some of the most notable exhibits you can find in the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Katakolon are:

  • The alarm clock of Plato which is the predecessor of electronic alarm clocks we use today.
  • The gates that open automatically – the first known automation in human history.
  • The Automatic theater of Heron of Alexandria, which is considered something similar to puppet show.
  • The  which makes use of the vapor pressure, and converts it to circular power. It is a primitive form of steam engines.
  • The Antikythera Mechanism, which is one of the most famous machines. It is a portable calculator used mostly for astronomical purposes.
  • The Odometer, which is something similar to road counters.
  • The Acoustic telegraph, which is a type of acoustic radar.
  • The Perpendicular Mycenaean loom
  • numerous toys and games created in Ancient Greece

    • The museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Katakolon operates conveniently to coincide with the arrival of the major cruise ships that disembark at  Katakolon Port giving the numerous tourists the chance to visit the exhibition during their shore excursion.

    Advertisement