“Eureka” in China!

“Eureka” in China!

The Herakleidon Museum’s exhibition “EUREKA – Science, art and technology of the Ancient Greeks” opened on 3 November at the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing.

The exhibition, part of the Greece-China Year of Cultural Exchanges and Cooperation of Creative Industries programme of events, was organized by the Herakleidon Museum in collaboration with the Society for the Study of Ancient Greek Technology and Professor Emeritus of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Dr Theodosios P. Tasios. The exhibition includes the most representative examples of achievements in shipbuilding, engineering, telecommunications, construction, astronomy, while prominence is given to a copy of the Antikythera Mechanism, hosted in a special room with visual / photographic material from underwater surveys.

At the opening ceremony, Minister Counsellor at the Greek embassy in China, Ms Elizabeth Fotiadou, linked the title of the exhibition, “Eureka”, to the spiritual quest of ancient Greeks who, in their effort to interpret the world, developed philosophy, science and technology. In addition, she referred to the exhibition of ancient Chinese technology, currently being hosted in Greece, at the Herakleidon Museum, as well as to the wider context of cooperation between Greece and China in the fields of museums, preservation of antiquities, translation, theatre and cinema.

In his address, the founder of the Herakleidon Museum, Mr Pavlos Firos, highlighted the ingenuity and sophistication of ancient Greeks, which he linked to their efforts to come up with solutions to the needs of everyday life. In addition, he pointed to the prospects of cooperation between the two museums through developing research and educational programmes to enhance the mutual understanding of both old and modern achievements of the two peoples. He also conveyed his best wishes for the success of exhibition, which could bring Greece and China closer, thus contributing to closer cooperation between the two peoples.

China Science and Technology Museum Director, Mr Yin Hao, thanked the Herakleidon Museum for its endeavour to put up the exhibition in China, while he stressed that exchanges between museums are an important element of China’s belt & Road Initiative, as well as a good startpoint for the Chinese museum's communication and cooperation with Greek museums.

According to Mr Wu Xiangping, member of the Chinese Association of Science and Technology, the research spirit and rationality of ancient Greeks have been inspiring modern scientific thinking in almost all areas. He, moreover, expressed the hope for a long-term and sustainable cooperation between the two countries in the fields of science and technology.

The exhibition will run through 7 March 2018.