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Secondary sourcePainting1929

Figure from Great Soviet Encyclopedia article on Heron

Unknown · 1929

A 1929 Soviet encyclopedia illustration showing four of Hero's mechanical devices, used to explain his inventions to readers.

A modern encyclopedia illustration explaining several of Hero's inventions to readers nearly two thousand years later.

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Four numbered line drawings of ancient mechanical devices: 1 shows a rotating device with a horizontal arm on vertical supports and gears; 2 shows a spherical vessel with jets on a tripod-like stand; 3 shows a two-handled urn with a bent siphon tube; 4 shows a temple-like door with a cylindrical altar, a fire-heated vessel, and a pulley mechanism.
Figure from the Heron article, Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1st edition, 1929.

About this source

What it is

This is a reference illustration from the first edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, published in 1929. It shows four numbered line drawings of ancient mechanical devices attributed to Hero of Alexandria, including a rotating device with gears, a spherical vessel on a stand, a siphon urn, and a temple mechanism with a pulley.

Why it matters

This image was made nearly two thousand years after Hero lived, but it shows how later generations tried to understand and explain his inventions. Encyclopedias like this one helped spread knowledge of ancient engineering to new readers in the 20th century.

Look closer

  • What do the four devices have in common?
  • Why might an encyclopedia use simple line drawings instead of photographs?
  • What questions do you still have about how these machines worked?

This painting 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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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

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De gli automati, ouero Machine se mouenti

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