A new free exhibition at the Science Museum will take visitors on an odyssey through time to explore how the ancient Greeks questioned, contemplated and debated the natural world.
Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom uses interactive, multimedia displays to give visitors a unique opportunity to view rare and remarkable objects, most of which have never been seen before in the UK, and discover the latest scientific research into this ancient civilisation, revealing how curiosity and investigation were central to the ancient Greek understanding of the universe, as they are for scientists today. Visitors will be able to hear from scientists working today to shed new light on the ancient Greek world, in a series of exclusive short films.
Audiences will also have the opportunity to join the Science Museum for a series of events, taking place in 2022, from panel discussions exploring how ancient Greek thinking influenced modern astronomy to using modern technology and videogaming to reimagine ancient Greek worlds; a special screening of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer and an evening of live music bringing the long-lost sounds of the ancient Greek world to life.
Commenting on the opening of the exhibition, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece said: "Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom offers a unique window on the wisdom that shaped the science of Ancient Greece, and a fresh insight into some of the innovation that is today driving greater understanding of that past. It is also a remarkable collaboration not just between Greece and the United Kingdom, but between the Science Museum and a number of Europe’s most prominent museums and academic institutions."
The exhibition forms part of 21 in 21, the UK-Greece cultural programme marking the bicentenary of Greek Independence and is supported by A.G. Leventis Foundation (Major Funder), the Avra Foundation, Andonis and Filippos Lemos, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (Associate Funders), and the John S Cohen Foundation and J.F. Costopoulos Foundation (Supporters).
The exhibition runs from 17 November 2021 – 5 June 2022.