21. Modern Skewers

• Time of Invention: 2,000 to 1,500 B.C.

Naturally, a lot of “firsts” happened during the time of Ancient Greece. We all know that the Greeks were inventive people, but some of the stuff we take for granted today was massive for them. Enter the average skewer.

Often overlooked due to seeing it so often, the Greeks invented a way of handling food that made life so much easier on us all. They merely grabbed a stick and put meat and veggies on it. They used to hold these skewers on stone supports, likely as a way to cook what was on them over a fire. It may not come off as major ancient Greek technology, but it is technology nonetheless.

20. Fire Hose

• Time of Invention: 100 B.C. to 1 A.D.

The Fire Hose is notably an ancient Greek invention, likely due to the fires that broke out in Alexandria among other Greek cities. They needed a way to push water through quickly, in an effort to put out the blaze. Notable Greek inventor Hero is said to have invented it or at least made a better version of an existing version.

It seems that Hero is a complicated person to pinpoint when it comes to his culture. Due to the Greek and Egyptian worlds connecting, it is uncertain if he was Egyptian or Greek in some way. We do know he taught at the Library of Alexandria, however. This could be why we still call the fire hose a Greek invention. In fact, Greece was the first to employ set firefighters. They likely would have been the ones trying to put out the fire that burned down the aforementioned library.

19. The Water Mill

• Time of Invention: 500 to 200 B.C.

The Water Mill is among the first true sources of energy-powered machinery ever invented. Water Mills use hydro-power, which was a type of energy that became a massive use to early civilizations. It remained THE power source for thousands of years until things like electricity among others came to be. Of course, it’s not like the Greeks needed to charge their iPhone.

The earliest known case of Water Mills being used dates back to Mesopotamia. The Perachora wheel is said to be the first water-driven wheel invented, which was described by Greek Inventor Philo of Byzantium. Although we know Philo did not invent it, we’re unsure who did. We simply know the wheel was invented by a person from Greece, making it ancient Greek technology.

18. Optical Telegraph

• Time of Invention: 500 to 300 B.C.

The optical telegraph is pretty simple to explain. Stations are lined up within the eyesight of the next closest one. When needed, a signal would go off that each station could see. This was usually used as a warning sign of some sort. Due to a need to get this right, stations were typically at the top of towers. Usually, a smoke signal, fire signal, or hydraulic signal was the main visual aide.

Everyone knew what each signal meant, which allowed people to know what to expect and even when. Most people credit France or China for the optical telegraph the most. While they did make far better and more sophisticated versions, the original telegraph was an ancient Greek invention. It takes back over 2,000 years.

17. Robotics

• Time of Invention: 500 to 400 B.C.

It is uncertain when the first true robot was invented but the people most credited with the earliest form of robotics were Greeks & Egyptians. There are a few main inventors behind them, all are infamous for their Greek ties. They are Philo of Byzantium, Hero of Alexandria, and Ctesibius. Greek Inventor Archytas of Tarentum is also a major part of this, but more on him later.

Philo invented the automated washstand & wine pourer. Hero invented the first vending machine among other devices we’ll discuss further. He is considered “the father of cybernetics” due to all his inventive technology. Yet it was Ctesibius who was the true first to robotics. He invented the first organ, which worked on hydraulics and he even made a water clock with moving figures.

16. The Flying Machine

• Time of Invention: 350 B.C.

We slightly lied when we mentioned that people such as Philo & Ctesibius were the first to robotics. One other person beat them to it, but many credit him for something slightly different. Archytas of Tarentum invented the first-ever flying machine. The man was a major fixture in cosmology too (a crater on the moon is even named after him).

He taught at the Pythagorean School due to his mathematics prowess. He even invented mathematical mechanics. Yet Archytas wanted to make something fly. He did this with the now infamous Archytas Dove. It was a wooden dove that could flap its wings and fly up to 200 meters (656 feet). It somehow ran on compressed air or an internal steam engine.

15. Modern Surgery

• Time of Invention: 500 B.C. to 100 A.D.

It was the Ancient Greeks & Egyptians who first began surgical procedures that we know today. However, the Greeks managed to beat the Egyptians to it. While some procedures such as trepanning or some common dentistry had been in play for centuries, the average surgery was not. We get most of our early surgical content from Hippocrates & Galen, both Greek Physicians.

The place most surgeries took place was at the Asclepieion of Epidaurus. They removed abdominal abscesses and any foreign object stuck in a person. Galen alone actually performed brain and eye surgeries successfully, but no one else could seem to replicate his successes here. Surgeries in these two areas did not happen for another 2,000 years after his passing.

14. Cartography

• Time of Invention: 200 to 300 A.D.

Cartography, in a nutshell, is the study of maps. While mapmaking had been in play for centuries before the exact study or science behind them came into play, they improved drastically when this was implemented. The inventor of this science was known as Claudius Ptolemy.

He invented a concept we still use today called Geographia or as we know it today, Geography. His concepts on maps helped to give us a proper way of seeing the world. At least, he helped this the best he could with the knowledge we had of the world in his time.

13. The Crane

• Time of Invention: 3,000 to 500 B.C.

Most people feel that the modern concept of the Crane began in Egypt due to all the major construction that happened there. Yet Mesopotamia invented the first one roughly around 3,000 B.C. It was called the Shadouf and was used for water irrigation. The Egyptians adopted this concept about one thousand years later.

However, it was yet again the Greeks that invented the first crane to help move heavy loads. Archeological studies have found that the crane dates back to the 6th century. This makes many wonder how did this major ancient Greek technology become a staple for Egyptians. It is likely due to the pyramids and other major Egyptian construction. Sadly, they did not have a crane to assist them.

12. Steam Engine

• Time of Invention: 25 A.D. to 65 A.D.

Funny enough, the first steam engine was actually not connected to the locomotive or anything similar. Invented by that useful guy known as Hero of Alexandria, he called his version the Aeolipile. Today, it is mostly known as “Hero’s Engine.”

This was a bladeless radial steam turbine that would spin when the central water container managed to heat up. Steam Jets created a form of torque, which then exited the turbine. This is similar to what a rocket engine does. This first steam engine concept would be what others based their steam engine concept on originally. Even the rocket needed to use some of Hero’s concepts.

11. Clock Towers

• Time of Invention: 200 B.C. to 50 A.D.

The original clock tower was actually invented for the Tower of the Winds, which was located in Athens, Greece. It featured an impressive eight sundials outside. Inside the Tower, there was also an early version of the water clock to help track time. It was driven by the water that came down from the Acropolis of Athens.

Of course, this Acropolis was simply a very high point in the area, it was also known for things like the Parthenon. This area also had a waterfall, giving us the ability to see the water clock inside the Tower. In any case, the Tower of the Winds had a lot of firsts. Thus, it should not shock anyone that they were the first to have a clock tower too.

10. Greek Fire

• Time of Invention: 672 A.D.

Greek Fire began obviously in Greece. We know, you’re shocked! It was made from Sulfur, Petroleum, and a Bitumen-based mixture. Of course, fire overall had been used in weapon form for centuries before Greek Fire was invented. What really made Greek Fire stand out was how impressively it spread and that it was much harder to put out.

The stuff even floated on the water, making it nearly impossible to put in any traditional form. It was often used to burn down ships as a result. Water ignited earlier versions of Greek Fire. This is why many believe it had things like naphtha and quicklime in it. This was used for the first time when Greeks invaded Constantinople and was a major fixture for the Byzantine Empire in several military ventures.

9. Flamethrower

• Time of Invention: 431 B.C. to 690 A.D.

Greek Fire had a huge influence and it became a staple in Greek militaries for years to come. However, there was a need to use it even more effectively. This was when the flamethrower came into play in a major way. However, it’s believed that the first known use of a flamethrower occurred during the Peloponnesian War. This was a Greek war fought among the Athenians and Spartans.

It was used to destroy walls built by the Athenians during the Battle of Delium. Later on, the Byzantine Empire used the flamethrower we modern versions are based on. They sprayed Greek Fire on ships using one made from a siphon-hose and piston. Simply by using a match, they could light the liquid Greek Fire as it was ejected from the device. They mostly used it during naval battles.

8. Grenades

• Time of Invention: 717 to 741 A.D.

Yet again, Greek Fire makes itself known as a huge asset. Early versions of the grenade used Greek Fire that the Byzantine Empire was famous for. The very same empire would invent the early grenade during the reign of Leo III. Byzantine soldiers realized that Greek Fire could easily be added into various areas, including the flamethrower. All you needed to do was simply light it as it came out.

Stone and Ceramic were free of any fire problems, so soldiers could easily carry Greek Fire in these before lighting it. This gave them the idea that they could light and then throw a stone and/or ceramic jar at people or objects. As they broke, the now lite liquid would burst out everywhere and burn down buildings or burn people alive. Glass was then used later on to do the same thing.

7. Computers

• Time of Invention: 323 to 60 B.C.

While the Greeks did not invent computers the way we know them today, they did technically invent the first analog computer. One of the biggest unsung inventions from ancient Greek technology is the Antikythera mechanism. This was used to predict astrological events, such as eclipses. It was useful in helping form calendars too.

The mechanism was especially useful in helping to keep track of years, which was very useful for the original Olympic Games called the Olympiad. It could track the 4-year cycle properly, without fail. This allowed Greeks to know exactly when, by the day, that certain events took place. Since the Antikythera mechanism did not fail to operate, it worked as surely as the computer too.

6. Anchors

• Time of Invention: 500 to 400 B.C.

After primitive anchors were used in preventing small boats from moving when not in use, eventually true anchors were made. These were, to the shock of no one, ancient Greek technology.

The earliest that the Greeks invented was made of baskets filled with stone, large sacks filled with sand, and even wooden logs filled with things like lead of the time. Some Athenian places simply used wood or anchors that could simply hold the sea vessel by its weight, along with certain anchors that used friction along the bottom.

5. Opiates & Anesthesia

• Time of Invention: 3500 to 2500 B.C.

It’s actually quite funny that the Greeks invented two forms of the same thing, both connected to opiates. Both were often used to help people during surgical procedures or to help as a sedative. This worked similarly to modern anesthesia. The first form of this was that a person might be knocked out by some ancient Greek technology made specifically for this.

Due to that causing issues, people eventually began using the opium plant. Opium was misunderstood for hundreds of years and led to the creation of things we see today like morphine, heroin, and fentanyl. It seems that the first use of the plant for healing, sleep, or any medical purpose happened in Ancient Mesopotamia. Once they were discovered to help, ancient people used them for multiple purposes. However, the most common use was as a sedative for more than a few thousand years.

4. Arch Bridge

• Time of Invention: 2000 to 1300 B.C.

That’s right, the classic arch bridge is an ancient Greek technology invented centuries ago. A lot of people give credit to the later Romans for this, but they weren’t the first. There are two bridges that still stand today called the Mycenaean Arkadiko Bridge that dates back to 1300 B.C. & the Rhodes Footbridge from the 4th Century B.C. Both are in Greece and used by locals even today.

Romans did not invent their first bridges until the 1st Century A.D. which proves the Arch Bridge came into play well before the Greco-Roman Era. It is likely that other Arch Bridges were in Greece hundreds of years before the two mentioned above. However, they very well could have been destroyed. This is why many date back the Arch Bridge even to the second millennium B.C.

3. Trusses & Truss Roofing

• Time of Invention: 3000 to 2000 B.C.

The Truss Roof is often where most ancient buildings get their roofing concepts. This is also a staple in things like barns to this day across the world. A truss is merely the assembly of beams or other element types that can create a rigid structure. Engineers describe it as something that consists of two-force members where both are organized so that the assembled parts behave like one.

Most of the major temples such as the Temples of Hera & Heracles use this concept. The rest use another roof type that Greeks invented, the Prop-and-Lintel. The Romans exclusively used the Truss Roof concept in their temples later on. These were commonplace because simply put, they worked. Trusses are brilliant forms of ancient Greek technology, which are still used in buildings worldwide today.

2. The Lighthouse

• Time of Invention: 280 to 247 B.C.

A lighthouse is used as a way to tell ships they are getting close to land. This was invented due to ships crashing into shores during foggy or night periods. In either form, a light can be seen from far off distances and it will act as a warning sign to help them avoid things like this. Possibly the most prominent lighthouse in ancient times was the version in the city of Alexandria.

This build by the Ptolemaic Kingdom period during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. He was the son Ptolemy I Soter, a former Greek General who served under Alexander the Great until his passing. This ancient Greek technology was the tallest structure in the world and remained such for centuries. It stood until three earthquakes eventually destroyed it from 956 to 1323 A.D.

1. Streets

• Time of Invention: 500 to 400 B.C.

Streets were originally invented by the Greeks and act very much like ancient Greek technology. They were formed to assist the Greeks in moving their army. Roads of any kind were pretty much nonexistent, so having some system of opening paths that could move people and equipment easier was common sense. That led to the Greeks pursuing the project.

This was so successful for the Greeks that they felt it could also work for their towns or cities. The original streets for the Greek Armed Forces are said to have been made in the fourth or fifth century B.C. Yet the use of streets in cities would not come until later in the fourth or third century B.C. period. The Porta Rosa is the first major street known and it dates back to that exact time period.