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Secondary sourceArtifact23 September 2017

Hero's Aeolipile Reconstruction, Thessaloniki Technology Museum

Gts-tg · 23 September 2017

A modern brass reconstruction of the aeolipile, a steam device attributed to Hero of Alexandria, displayed in a technology museum.

This museum reconstruction represents the aeolipile device credited to Hero of Alexandria.

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A brass reconstruction of Hero's aeolipile: a spherical copper-colored ball on a vertical pipe mounted on a round brass-topped base with an ornate engraved band. Two bent L-shaped nozzles extend from the sphere. Behind it, a wall panel with text and technical drawings.
Reconstruction of Hero's Aeolipile, Thessaloniki Technology Museum. Photographed by Gts-tg, 2017.

About this source

What it is

This photograph, taken in 2017, shows a reconstruction of Hero's aeolipile displayed at the Thessaloniki Technology Museum. The museum's own record dates the original concept to the 1st century AD in Alexandria, though the object shown is a modern reconstruction.

Why it matters

The aeolipile is one of the inventions credited to Hero of Alexandria, and is often described as an early example of using steam to produce movement. Museums build reconstructions like this one to help visitors understand ancient technology that no longer survives in its original form. It shows how Hero's ideas continue to be studied and displayed centuries later.

Look closer

  • What materials and design choices did the museum use to recreate this ancient device?
  • Why might a museum choose to build a working reconstruction rather than just display a description?
  • What can and can't a reconstruction tell us about the real object Hero described?

This artifact 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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Hero of Alexandria in the Codex of Saint Gregory Nazianzenos

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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

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Belopoiika (design drawing of a siege engine)

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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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