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Secondary sourceBook1st century AD (this copy later)

Automata (Bacchus diagram)

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

A diagram from Hero's treatise Automata showing a mechanical Bacchus figure that pours wine, an example of his programmable theatre machines.

Shows Hero's own design for a wine-dispensing automaton, part of his treatise on self-moving machines.

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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.
Hero of Alexandria, Automata 13: Bacchus automaton diagram. Biblioteca Marciana, Venice, Gr. 516, fol. 202r.

About this source

What it is

This is a page from a Byzantine manuscript copy of Hero of Alexandria's treatise Automata, showing a diagram of a small temple with a figure of Bacchus that dispenses wine and milk through hidden pipes and tanks. The manuscript is held in the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice.

Why it matters

Hero designed automata as entertainment devices for temples and theatres, using hidden mechanisms to create the illusion of magic. This diagram is one of the few surviving visual records of his automated machines, showing how ancient engineers combined mechanics with performance.

Look closer

  • Can you find the hidden tanks and pipes in the drawing — what do they tell you about how the trick worked?
  • Why might people watching this automaton in ancient times have found it amazing or mysterious?
  • How many centuries passed between Hero and this manuscript copy, and what might that mean for its accuracy?

This book 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.

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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)

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

An open printed book on a display stand showing two pages: the left page is dense text, the right page has a woodcut illustration of classical columns and a decorated entablature. A column base photo stands behind it.Book

Primary source

De architectura

Vitruvius · c. 30-20 BCE

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