Skip to main content

Secondary sourceDocument1911

Hero of Alexandria, Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911 entry

1911

A 1911 encyclopedia article summarizing what was known about Hero of Alexandria's life, dating, and works.

This 1911 reference article surveys debates among scholars about Hero's dates and sources.

Ask Hero of Alexandria about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Wikisource)

About this source

What it is

This is an entry on Hero of Alexandria from the 11th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, published in 1911. It discusses when Hero may have lived and reviews the evidence and scholarly debates about his dates.

Why it matters

Because so little is certain about Hero's actual life, later writers have had to piece together clues from his own writings and from other ancient authors like Ctesibius and Posidonius. This article shows how historians build an understanding of an ancient figure from indirect evidence, and how uncertain even basic facts like dates can be.

Look closer

  • What kinds of evidence does the article use to guess when Hero lived?
  • Why do different scholars disagree about his dates?
  • How might our estimate of history change as experts find new evidence?

This document 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