Herakleidon Museum
Athens, Greece
If your ideas of ancient Greece centered on gods, heroes, and perhaps philosophers, the Herakleidon Museum will turn everything you thought you knew upside down. Exhibits explore ancient science and technology, including “automatic” gates, a “robot” slave girl, the Antikythera Mechanism “computer”, and a wealth of military and naval innovations.
The basics
This small museum is divided between two nearby buildings in the heart of Athens. A single ticket, which you can buy online or in person, gets you access to both. Children under 6 go free, while students, teachers, pensioners, and those aged 6–18 enjoy discounted entry.
While there’s not as much button-pressing interactivity as some might expect in a science museum, videos and demonstration models bring the stories to life. Perhaps the most fascinating exhibit is the model of the Antikythera Mechanism, a hand-cranked device for calculating astronomical positions created around 100 BC. The world wouldn’t see an object this sophisticated for more than 1,000 years.
Things to know before you go
The Herakleidon Museum is a great choice for history buffs, military aficionados, and tech enthusiasts of all ages. Allow 30 minutes to 1.5 hours to explore the two buildings, depending on your appetite for history, science, and warfare. The historic buildings are not wheelchair accessible.
How to get there
The Herakleidon Museum is split between two buildings in Thissio, a historic district in the heart of Athens. It’s 5 minutes by foot from the Agora of Athens, a slightly longer walk from the Acropolis, and a short stroll from Thissio metro station.
When to get there
From April through October, the museum is open 10am–6pm daily; between November and March this changes to Wednesday-Sunday opening only, from 10am–6pm. The museum closes on Christmas, December 26, New Year’s Day, Greek Orthodox Easter, and August 15 (a Greek religious holiday).
On the trail of ancient Greek science in Athens
Lovers of ancient Greek technology shouldn’t miss a few ancient sites: Plato’s Academy Park, where Aristotle studied under Plato; the Tower of the Winds, perhaps Earth’s first meteorological station; and Pnyx, where Meton built an astronomical observatory. You can dive deeper into ancient tech at the Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, see the original Antikythera Mechanism in the Athens National Archaeological Museum, and learn more about ancient Greek astronomy at the National Observatory of Athens.
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