Ancient Machines & Engineering - Full Documentary

  • 5 years ago
During the growth of the ancient civilizations, ancient technology was the result from advances in engineering in ancient times. These advances in the history of technology stimulated societies to adopt new ways of living and governance. Incredible Ancient Machines Invented By Hero Of Alexandria – An Engineer Far Ahead Of His Time - Little is known about Hero of Alexandria except that he was a remarkable ancient engineer far ahead of his time.

He invented several sophisticated machines which demonstrate his vast knowledge in mechanics.

Hero also called Heron, was a Greek mathematician. The date of his birth remains uncertain. Some authorities place his birthday early 150 BCE in Ptolemaic, Egypt. Other scholars date his birth to be 250 CE in late Roman Empire.

As a student, Hero spent most of his time in the Library at the University of Alexandria. He loved to be in the library, because of the series of gardens vast collection of books.
Hero was strongly influenced by the writings of Ctesibius of Alexandria. It is possible he was a student of Ctesibius.

When older he taught at the University of Alexandria, and taught mathematics, mechanics, and physical science.

He wrote many books and he used them as texts for his students, and manuals for technicians, and were written in Greek, Latin and Egyptian.

One of his amazing inventions is the so-called "The 'philosopher's stone' of Heron" that "changed" one liquid into another, for example, water into wine.
It consisted of an airtight vase of water which, at the top, had a tubular opening where water entered and reached the bottom and of an airtight vase of wine which, in the middle, had a tap in a siphon shape.

The two vases were connected by an intermediate small tube that entered the bottom and reached close to their top. When a certain amount of water was poured into the first vase, the air inside went through the intermediate tube to the second vase pushing out the equal amount of wine. (The tube arrangement did not allow the mixing of liquids," ('Heron, Pneumatics, A 14').

Hero is credited with authorship of several manuscripts including Automata, theP neumatica, the Dioptra, the Catoprica and the Mechanica.

Hero invented a number of fascinating machines.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, it is believed that Hero studied the works of Archimedes and Vitruvius, as well as Ctesibius.

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