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Primary sourceBook

Belopoiika

Hero of Alexandria

Hero of Alexandria's own Greek treatise on building siege engines and catapults, a primary source for his engineering work.

This treatise is Hero's own work on siege engine design, a primary source for his engineering career.

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About this source

What it is

The Belopoiika, or 'On Missile-Making', is a treatise written by Hero of Alexandria in ancient Greek, dealing with the design and construction of siege engines such as catapults. It survives in the original Greek language and is listed among his collected works.

Why it matters

This text is a primary source written by Hero himself, showing his expertise went beyond pure mathematics into practical military engineering. It reveals how ancient engineers combined theory and craftsmanship to serve both philosophy and the practical needs of warfare.

Look closer

  • Why might Hero connect the design of weapons to ideas about peace and calm of mind?
  • What does this text suggest about the relationship between science and war in the ancient world?
  • What parts of his explanation seem aimed at teaching others the craft?

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)

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

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