Hero (or
Heron)
of Alexandria (roughly A.D.
10 to roughly A.D.
70) was a Greek engineer. His most famous invention was the first documented steam engine, the
aeolipile. He is said to have been a follower of the
Atomists[?]. Some of his ideas were derived from the works of
Ctesibius[?].
A number of references mention dates around 150 BC, but these are inconsistent with the dates of his publications and inventions. Perhaps this is due to a misinterpretation of the phrase "first century".
The complete surviving works are:
- Pneumatica (Greek, c. A.D. 60)
- Automata (Greek)
- Mechanics (Arabic)
- Metrics (Arabic)
- Dioptra (Arabic)
In optics, Hero proposed that light travels along the shortest geometric path. This view is no longer accepted, having been replaced by least-time principle.
In geometry, he wrote down the formula (Heron's formula) for calculating the area of a triangle in terms of its sides.
- compressed-air fountain
- siphons
- automated puppets
- machine for threading wooden screws
- steam turbine (A.D. 50/62/70) (aeolipile)
- density of air
- water organ or hydraulic organ
- odometer
The Technology Museum of Thessaloniki has a good web page on Hero at
http://www.tmth.edu.gr/en/aet/5/55.html.