Greek Title Page of the Pneumatica

What it is

This is a close-up of a printed Greek title page reading the opening words of Hero of Alexandria's Pneumatica, dated to the 16th century. The lettering uses archaic Greek accent and breathing marks.

Why it matters

This page shows how Hero's work survived and was transmitted through copying and printing long after his lifetime. Renaissance scholars valued Greek scientific texts like this one, and such printed editions helped preserve ancient knowledge for later readers.

It is evidence of Hero as an author whose writings outlived him by many centuries, carried forward by scribes and printers.

Look closer

• What does the careful lettering and use of accents tell you about how seriously this text was treated?
• Why do you think scholars kept copying and printing Hero's work over a thousand years after he wrote it?
• What might be different between this printed page and the very first version of Hero's text?