Herakleidon Museum
The Herakleidon Museum in Athens presents the ‘EUREKA: Science, Art and Technology of the Ancient Greeks’ exhibition, highlighting ancient Greek technological achievements.
Planning your visit
The Herakleidon Museum's permanent exhibition, "EUREKA", covers ancient Greek technology, and its argument is that Greek achievement in engineering has been overshadowed by Greek achievement in philosophy and art. The displays are working reconstructions rather than artefacts: Archimedes screws, catapults and siege engines, water clocks, the Antikythera mechanism, automatic doors and self-regulating devices designed by Heron of Alexandria, cranes, odometers and surveying instruments.
Many can be operated by visitors, which is the point — seeing a reconstructed Heron automaton actually work makes a stronger case than any text about Hellenistic engineering.
The museum's reconstructions are based on surviving descriptions and archaeological evidence, and the accompanying material explains what is documented and what is inferred, which is more scholarly honesty than such exhibitions usually offer.
It sits in Thissio, below the Acropolis, in a neighbourhood well placed for the archaeological sites. That proximity makes it a useful counterweight: after the temples, a demonstration of what the same civilisation built when it was solving practical problems. Allow ninety minutes. The main booking is an entry ticket. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Herakleidon Museum?
Herakleidon Museum is in Athens, Greece. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Herakleidon Museum?
Allow ninety minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Herakleidon Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
