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Ancient Greek mathematician and engineer who was active in his native city of Alexandria, Roman Egypt.
Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria (Greek: Ἥρων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς) (c. 10–70 AD) was considered the greatest experimenter of antiquity and his work is representative of the Hellenistic scientific tradition. Hero published a well recognized description of a steam-powered device called an aeolipile (hence sometimes called a "Hero engine"). Among his most famous inventions was a windwheel, constituting the earliest instance of wind harnessing on land. The first vending machine was also one of his constructions, when a coin was introduced via a slot on the top of the machine, a set amount of holy water was dispensed. Hero also invented many mechanisms like the force pump (for fire-engine), a syringe to control the delivery of air or liquids, a standalone fountain that operates under self-contained hydrostatic energy. (Heron's fountain), a programmable cart that was powered by a falling weight. The "program" consisted of strings wrapped around the drive axle and for the Greek theater, an entirely mechanical play almost ten minutes in length, powered by a binary-like system of ropes, knots, and simple machines operated by a rotating cylindrical cogwheel. The sound of thunder was produced by the mechanically-timed dropping of metal balls onto a hidden drum.
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variant spelling:
Heron Alexandrinus; ; Heron des Älteren; Heron dem Älteren; Heron ; Heron von Alexandreia
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Curriculum vitae
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* 10
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Alexandria
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born
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54 - 68
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Entfaltung einer umfangreichen Bautätigkeit während der Herrschaft des Kaisers Nero
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59 - 61
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Alexandria
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Lehrer am Museum
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59 - 61
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Alexandria
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Tätigkeit als Ingenieur, Erfinder, Mathematiker und Vermessungstechniker
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† 85
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died
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