Ancient Greece

We rely on technology to make our lives easier, faster, and better. Our buildings, machinery, vehicles, clothes, metals, food, medicines, and weapons depend upon it. But many of the technologies we currently use have their origins in the distant past.

Children's Literature

The ancient Greeks gave the modern world many ideas, including the alphabet, science, and technology. They created amazing temples with different styles of columns still used today as well as building homes with doors, windows, and even toilets. Their contribution to farming includes crop rotation, which allows for better use of the land. Major crops included olives and grapes, some of which were made into wine. They developed spinning and weaving to create cloth. They created both weapons and art from iron, bronze, and silver. Their pottery is both beautiful and functional and much of it still survives today. The Greeks built on the Egyptian ideas of timekeeping to develop sundials and even kept track of days and hours. Some of their inventions, such as the Antikyther Mechanism, were so complex that even today, we are not sure of their function. Because theater was important to the Greeks, they developed a theater design that is still used because it allows the sound to carry to all seats in the audience. The scientific and mathematical basics developed by Greeks such as Aristotle and Thaeles are still taught today. They also made major contributions in the medical and military fields. This resource is well written, accompanied by photographs, a timeline, and a glossary, and is a perfect work for a student researching the ancient Greeks. Part of the "Technology in Times Past" series. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck