Skip to main content

Secondary sourceArtifact13 July 2022

Aeolipyle of Hero, Museum of Ancient Greek Technology

Kóstas Kotsanás · 13 July 2022

A modern reconstruction of Hero's aeolipile, a steam-powered device he described, displayed in a Greek museum of ancient technology.

A modern reconstruction of a device attributed to Hero, built to help visitors understand his engineering ideas.

Ask Hero of Alexandria about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
A copper reconstruction of Hero's aeolipile, a hollow sphere on two bent pipe arms mounted atop a shallow copper bowl on three legs, displayed inside a glass case in a museum.
Kóstas Kotsanás, reconstruction of Hero's aeolipile. Museum of Ancient Greek Technology, Heraklion, Crete, 2022.

About this source

What it is

This photograph shows a modern reconstruction of Hero's aeolipile, built by Kóstas Kotsanás and displayed at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Heraklion, Crete. The reconstruction, photographed in 2022, is made of copper and shows a hollow sphere mounted on bent pipe arms above a bowl.

Why it matters

The aeolipile is one of the inventions associated with Hero of Alexandria, and is often cited as an early example of using steam to create motion. This reconstruction, made by a modern engineer, helps visitors understand how such an ancient device might have worked, though it is not the original object.

Look closer

  • What does this reconstruction suggest about how the original device might have moved?
  • Why might museums build working models of ancient inventions instead of only showing drawings?
  • What parts of this reconstruction are modern guesses rather than certain facts?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hero of Alexandria on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Hero of Alexandria sources

Meet the AI Hero of Alexandria →
Manuscript page with Greek text in brown ink at top and bottom, and colored line drawings in the middle showing Hero's hydraulic bird-singing apparatus: several birds perched on pipes and arches, a tall cylindrical water vessel, a horizontal tank, and a bell-shaped weight on a chain.Book

Secondary source

Pneumatica

Hero of Alexandria · 1st century AD (this copy later)

Page from a Greek manuscript showing a colored line drawing of a temple-like structure with columns, arches, and a dome-like roof, with hidden tanks and mechanisms below. Greek handwritten text fills the lower part of the page.Book

Secondary source

Automata (Bacchus diagram)

Hero of Alexandria · 1st century AD (this copy later)

Painted miniature from a Greek manuscript: a bearded man with long grey hair in a golden-brown cloak extends his right hand toward the left, beside a dark archway. Red Greek lettering reads 'ΗΡΩΝ ΦΙΛΟΣΟΦΟ' beside him.Painting

Secondary source

Hero of Alexandria in the Codex of Saint Gregory Nazianzenos

Unknown author · 9th century AD

Illuminated manuscript page with colored design drawing of a large siege engine or cannon in red, blue, green and tan, with a vertical arrow-like beam at top, surrounded by Greek text in brown ink on parchment.Document

Secondary source

Belopoiika (design drawing of a siege engine)

Hero of Alexandria · 1st century AD (this copy later)

Title page of a 1589 Italian book, engraved in black and white with an ornate architectural border of columns, scrolls and a central medallion. Printed text reads Di Herone Alessandrino De gli automati, ouero Machine se moventi, libri due, tradotti dal greco da Bernardino Baldi, with a small shield reading In Venetia, appresso Girolamo Porro, 1589.Book

Secondary source

De gli automati, ouero Machine se mouenti

Hero : Alexandrinus · 1589

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Hero of Alexandria now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions