The Athens Ancient Technology Museum has different parts, the Ancient Technology section, the Ancient Musical Instruments section and the Special Exhibit area. We chose the first two but only got to enjoy the Musical Instruments. This is because there were no less than five groups of small schoolkids visiting the museum. The noise of so many toddlers and the space that they filled made it impossible to see the other part of the museum. So we had the attendant mark our receipt with the date and time and we left. Before going we were able to see the amazing instruments developed by the Greeks.
We are here
Made from the horns and skull of a goat, this is an early lyre
This is the oldest keyboard instrument in the world dating from 3rd Century BCE
The diagram of how the pumps push the pistons up through the pnigues that regulated the air pressure. This was the precursor to the modern church organ
Various levels of Lyre technology oldest on the right newest on the left
The oldest song is from the 2nd century BCE and was found in 1873 inscribed on a headstone
This Kithara was named the guitar of Apollo with a complex system of metal strips were built to regulate the tension int he upper arms
This Sambuca has a tortoise shell as the sound box and is associated with symposiums and orgiastic cults, its sound was considered sensual
Various flutes, from the pan flute to the double aulos
This early guitar had a box on the display that would play a song that was played on this specific instrument
The cymbals with what look like little foot position stickers used to teach dances
Percussion instruments were all very familiar
These percussion instruments were not something we had ever seen before. The blocks on the right were a sort of tap shoe
Bagpipes!
The Triangle an early type of harp
Medusa, look away!
Fishes in a store that we passed
Lunch was in this classy place
Nice and open and bright
A bit heavy on the religious icons
