Contribution of ancient Greeks to the development of technology and the evolution of our modern civilization

Science and technology made great headway in Greece in the 7th century b.c. and spread throughout the Mediterranean world. It was  mentioned by Kikeron (106-43 b.c.) that Archimedes (287-212 b.c.) made effigies that represented the motion of heavenly bodies without ever clarifying what they looked like or how they worked.
Scientific progress came to a halt in Europe when the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century a.c.. Barbarian hordes destroyed almost everything in their paths as they overran Europe and ushered in the Dark Ages. During this time the Chinese were charting the stars and the planets and Arab nations were developing Mathematics. Greek science was reintroduced to Europe by Islamic influences that penetrated into Spain during the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. Universities emerged in Europe in the 13th century, and the introduction of gunpowder changed the social and political structure of Europe in the 14th century. The 15th century saw art and science beautifully blended by Leonardo da Vinci. Scientific thought was furthered in the 16th century with the advent of the printing paper. From then onwards modern science begun to emerge.
The following is an example of the great contribution of Greeks in the development of technology. 

Antikythira is a small island half-way between the North-West of the island of Crete and the South-East of  Peloponnese.
 

                                    FIG 1: MAP 

Note that Peloponnese was connected to the mainland then.
During the middle of the 1st century b.c. a Greek ship full with Greek treasures, i.e. marble and copper statutes, urns, furniture and other valuable things started it's travel with final destination Rome. Near Cavo-Maleas which is in the South-East of Peloponnese it met very rough sea, the waves were really huge and the ship decided to move further south, so that it would cross over Peloponnese between the islands of Kythira and Antikythira. But it seemed  as if the ship run out of luck. Nature was against it, the huge waves kept coming in and the wind was blowing even stronger. Eventually, the ship with the sails completely torn, the men exhausted and water coming in from everywhere gave up the struggle. It sunk 30 m from the shore of Antikythira at a depth of 60 m. It stayed there for almost 2000 years thus saving some exquisite works of Art and one in particular unique astronomical instrument, the famous calculating machine of Antikythira. The Greek sea kept hidden and saved a unique mechanism whose value is well above the value of all the other findings added together.
  The secret was revealed when in 1900 some sponge-divers from the island of Symi decided to dive for sponges. A diver named Hlias fell into the sea first. When he was as far as 42 m down he saw an ancient wreck of approximate length 50 m lying there amid marble and copper statutes.
They reported the findings and soon  salvaging started. The findings are all exposed in the Archaeological Museum of Athens and among other things include a beautiful statute called "The Youth of Antikythira".
 

                                    FIG 2: STATUTE 

In the uproar that was created due to the discovery nobody cared about the remnants of a strange looking box that contained some  rudimentary traces of a mechanism of some sort in a very bad  physical condition. A lot of people tried to explain what the mechanism was used for, but unsuccessfully. Then, in 1971, a Greek nuclear physicist working at "Demokritos", named Charalambos Karachalos , in a joint project with the American Professor of Yale University,  Derek De Solla Price started to X-ray the contents of the box. Price completed his work in 1974, publishing his now famous book . 
The X-rays revealed an astonishing astronomical instrument that consisted of 30 cogged toothed wheels, of diameter between 132 to 9 mm. Each of the wheels could turn at a different angular velocity. The analogies of the clogged wheels could be identified with known astronomical and  calendar parameters. The wheels had inscriptions with the names of stars AFRODHITE, HLIOS, DIDYMOI etc.. and at another point it had the calendar months. In one of the disks the yearly motion of the Sun in the Zodiac circle is noted and in another place the yearly motion of bright stars and constellations.

                               FIG 3: REPLICA 

          GENERAL DIAGRAM OF THE COMBINATION 

In his book, De Solla Price  mentions, that:
 

                                   FIG 4: BOOK COVER 

"...nothing like this has ever been found  anywhere in the world. It is a unique complex mechanical instrument consisting of gears and cogwheels. The most amazing part of this mechanism is that it contained a differential gear that is affected by two simultaneous revolutions that have to be synchronized. Therefore this strange astronomical instrument, the most ancient example of  scientific technology that we have , radically changes our views about the contribution of ancient Greeks to the development of technology and the evolution of our modern civilization."

That is absolutely true.
 

Information Technology in Cyprus
 During the second half of this century but more over the past decade the process of change in the world has been accelerated by fast and extensive technological, social, political and economic developments. 
Likewise Cyprus economy has experienced some radical changes over the past 35 years. Starting with a structure which had as its base the agricultural and mineral products during the 1960s, the Cyprus economy changed and by the mid 1970s the manufacturing sector had gained prominence. The same economy changed again during the 1980s and it is now based on tourism and the provision of services. The above changes have allowed Cyprus not only to survive the radical international changes but also to have growth rates and economic indicators which can be favorably compared with those of other developed countries. Now, in the wake of a most successful customs union, Cyprus is on the threshold of joining the European Union.
While the new technologies can be used in a great variety of activities and fields, I will be limiting the scope of my presentation to the field of information/communication technologies. Undoubtedly, the crucial importance can be seen from the fact that now the worldwide, global economy is dominated  by computers, telecommunications and media networks. I will be using the issues and conclusions of the conference “The Information Society in the Eastern Mediterranean countries”, which was organized by Cyprus Research Center (KYKEM) last year in Cyprus.
Computers made their first appearance in Cyprus in the 1960s, mainly in Government departments and public utilities organizations. In the late seventies, the introduction of computerized accounting machines and mini computers enabled  large organizations in the island to make their first step towards computerization. The introduction of the personal computer in the 1980s made computer technology more accessible to a larger number of businesses while the continuous drop in computer hardware and software prices in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s has made computerization an affordable alternative for almost all businesses.
All computer hardware used in Cyprus are imported from abroad while most hardware manufactures either have a branch office or a  distributor on the island. A number of hardware companies, have also established regional offices in Cyprus to monitor their operations in the Middle East and North Africa.
The picture for the software on the other hand is quite different. Software used in Cyprus can be classified in two different categories, namely, the off the shelf Office Automation Software and the Business Accounting Applications. Although all Office Automation Software are imported from abroad, more than 90% of the Business Accounting applications are locally developed. The Cyprus software industry, which started in the early eighties, today comprises of more than 30 software companies. However, only about  less than ten of these companies employ more than a dozen people.
As a result of large software projects which were mainly needed by the government a number of software houses teamed up with international organizations in order to better be able to provide competitive solutions. This co-operation of international companies with the local software houses has helped to raise the standard of  the Cyprus software industry on the island. 
INTERNET:Present situation
We are all experiencing breathtaking technological developments which are happening as we speak here today. The most well known of them all, is the Internet, the “Super Highway”, in which information travels. Internet is the backbone which will support the development of an International Society in the years to come. A Society which will survive and exist based on knowledge and information. Following an adventurous introductory period, Internet has seriously invaded Cyprus and it expands rapidly.
Today about 4000 persons and companies have access to the Internet  in the free part of Cyprus.
The whole development of Internet in Cyprus is based on the ability of Cypriots to evaluate and apply new technology and this is proven by the fact that personal computers are widely used in Cyprus. Cyprus is considered to be one of the first countries in the world on the list  of the numbers of personal computers used.
The use of these computers was very limited before the presence of Internet since the use of the computer was directly related to the operating  system which was installed inside the computer. With the presence  of Internet, Cyprus has extended its horizons. Every user is before a huge amount of information  and his only concern is the evaluation  and the reacquisition of information from the various centers of Internet. As they realized the saving of time and money through computer correspondence, companies with links abroad and the other commercial organizations became members.
INTERNET:Development perspectives in Cyprus 
The services of Internet in Cyprus have to be improved  all the time so that it will keep in pace with that of other countries. The development  perspectives of Internet are basically separated into two main categories:
a)  Technology Development
The technology of Internet nowadays is moving towards the direction of further application of multimedia for the transfer of image and sound but also for the implementation of virtual reality.
b)  Implementation Development
Today through the computers for public use that are installed  in Cyprus, one can acquire information about Cyprus and its products from anywhere in the world.
Various forms of electronic commerce, for example the ordering of goods through Internet, that are very common  in other countries are just beginning to appear using initially credit cards. Today many efforts are made for the application of transactions systems with passwords through the Internet which will facilitate the electronic commerce, i.e. issue an account to every user-member of the Bank to transfer the money based on his/her purchases that has done through the Internet.
Education today:
To promote Information Technology in Secondary Education a program was prepared which was approved by the council of Ministers in August 1986. This program made provisions for stages of development with the following features:
a)  Introduction of lessons and specifications related to Information Technology.
b)  Use of the computer as an educational means and tool.
c)  Modernizing the content of a number of lessons so as to correspond to new trends and practices.
d)  Use of the computer in the administration 
Within the framework of applying the program lessons of Information Technology have already been introduced in Lyceua and Technical Schools.
Interactive networking technology  shows great potential to aid in the improvement of secondary science education, a matter of critical importance to the future of our small country. Decades of research have produced proven, interactive techniques for teaching the sciences that can be facilitated by technology. But these techniques are not yet in widespread use in Cyprus. Networks for distance learning have demonstrated  the ability to reach remote schools and students and promote peer learning. But our schools are not networked to one another, much less to the outside world. Need to introduce new techniques using the combination of computer technologies that will provide a means for teaching old subjects in new more effective ways and for introducing modern science topics previously not taught. The new computer technologies could also be used   for administrative work in schools and for transmitting common  tests, exams over the network to all the schools in Cyprus. 
Advanced activities including the benefits of graphics, sound and video to complement traditional text include:
a)  Student-centered teaching
Rather than the teacher being the provider of information, this new teaching technique gives the student the opportunity to create presentations, learning units, or tutorials that are then viewed by other students for critique and comment. With the student selecting the information from a variety of reference sources, and preparing the presentation, a student can learn more about a particular subject while acquiring highly marketable decision-making, research and technical skills.
b)  Student team projects where a group of students become the providers of information, creating a presentation as a class project.
c)  Lesson creation
Multimedia software can be used to create learning units and tutorials, allowing teachers to focus on particular areas of instruction not covered in text books or traditional lesson plans. Teachers can also enhance their instruction with visual and audio elements to more fully engage students.

The Information Society has left the starting blocks. Awareness of technological change is widespread. Each day news on strategic alliances, new product ideas and innovative applications are broadcast. The market for Information and Communication Technologies has become a driving force for economic growth and has surpassed that for traditional products.
The key question is whether Cyprus will take up opportunities for its future proactively. If we don’t succeed in creating a new service mentality in Cyprus we are in danger of loosing, because due to the increased productivity, jobs in the traditional sector will undoubtedly further decrease. Already, we are experiencing a big decrease in the tourist industry, as it is called, in Cyprus, which is already influencing the job demand in that area.  We will need to aim at raising  the general awareness regarding the emergence of the information society. 
Finally, as Mr Martin Bangemann, of the European Commission, declared:
“Europeans can expect new job opportunities, new services and new markets to develop in the wake of the Information Society”.
 
Cyprus  can not be left out of this new change.