Heron interesting facts. Heron of Alexandria - the unrecognized genius of his time

Ancient Greek culture is unique for several reasons. Its carriers were able to adopt and in their own way realize the greatest achievements of previous civilizations - the Sumerians, Egyptians, Babylonians. It was the very first civilizations, even before the Greeks, that made the most important discoveries in such areas of human knowledge as mathematics, astronomy, natural history, and architecture.

By the way, we also use this knowledge, being the heirs of the Medieval and Ancient Greek civilizations. Just a small example of the archaism of our knowledge about the world, that is, knowledge bearing the imprint of something very ancient.

Today, the whole world counts 60 seconds to count a minute, and the same number of minutes for an hour. But why exactly 60? This tradition of counting time in this way comes from Antiquity. Of course, the Greeks adopted this tradition from the mathematicians of Mesopotamia. The Babylonians inherited the sexagesimal number system, along with the most accurate tables of observations of celestial bodies, from their more ancient predecessors, the Sumerians. Later, it was also adopted by Greek astronomers.

The origin of the sexagesimal system is still unclear. Probably, it is connected with another, duodecimal number system. The thing is that 5 × 12 = 60. 5 is the number of fingers on the hand. (6x60). The duodecimal system arose based on the number of phalanges of the four fingers of the hand when counting them with the thumb of the same hand. The phalanges of the fingers were used as the simplest abacus (the current thumb marked the state of the account), instead of the bending of the fingers adopted by the Europeans.

Reconstruction of the Heron steam turbine

Needless to say, the first civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley left the Greeks a rich heritage of applied knowledge. The greatest ancient Greek scientists developed them even deeper, achieving incredible discoveries in geometry, algebra and physics. The names of many of these scientists are known - Archimedes the great theoretical mathematician, Euclid - the father of geometry and Aristotle, who can rightfully be called the father of physics as a theoretical science.

But, perhaps, not a single ancient Greek naturalist achieved such success, and did not make such a large number of various inventions as Heron of Alexandria. He is even considered one of the greatest engineers in the history of mankind. This ancient Greek mechanic and mathematician lived in the first half of the 1st century AD, and little is known about his personal life. Despite this, many of his works have been preserved in Arabic translation in their entirety: Pneumatics, Metrics, Autopoietics (just listen to how it sounds!), Mechanics, Catoptrics (that is, the science of mirrors). Some of the works are irretrievably lost today. Among them are many scrolls that were kept in the Library of Alexandria). Heron used the achievements of many of his predecessors: Strato from Lampsak, Archimedes, Euclid. He had a wide range of interests - geometry, optics, mechanics, hydrostatics.

It was he who owned a number of inventions that were amazing for their time - automatic doors, a quick-firing self-loading crossbow, a mechanical puppet theater with automatic scenery, a device for measuring the length of roads, that is, an ancient taximeter. He is credited with creating the first programmable device. But let's make a allowance for the time - at that time such a "device" was a shaft with pins, on which a rope was wound.

One of the drawings of Heron - an organ that makes a sound with a windmill

But perhaps the most amazing invention of Heron, ahead of its time by 17 centuries, is the steam turbine. Yes, yes, it is he who owns the creation of the first such engine. For a long time (almost all but the last 300 years), people worked by hand before the steam engine was invented. First, the power of animals was used. Then, people learned to use the power of the wind as a source of energy, which inflated the sails and turned the windmills. The mill itself was also a kind of engine, which was used to pump water and grind grain.

Heron was the first to suggest that a mechanical shaft can be made to rotate with the help of heat. The principle of operation of his apparatus is well known, the drawings of which have survived to this day. In it, the energy of heated and compressed water vapor is converted into kinetic energy, with the help of which mechanical work is performed on the shaft.

However, Heron's engine was too small to be able to do any work. The inventor did not receive due recognition. In the Middle Ages, in Europe, many of his inventions were forgotten, rejected, or simply of no practical interest. But in vain! Who knows when the industrial age might have begun if the steam engine had been reinvented 400 years earlier. But history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood "and if ...".

Only in 1705, the Englishman Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine, which was used to pump water from coal mines. In the 18th century, another Englishman, James Watt, created an improved engine. He came up with valves that automatically made the pistons move down and up. That is, now there was no need for a special person who would do this. Thus began the age of the steam engine. A hundred years later, the first steam-powered steamboats and the first steam locomotives began to sail around the world, the name of which speaks for itself.

One of the last steam locomotives, made in 1944 in Montreal. It weighed 320 tons and was 30 meters long.

But the steam engine was quite heavy, since the combustion of fuel took place in a furnace, which was located separately from the steam boiler. A more advanced gasoline engine was developed a little later in 1878 by the German Nicholas Otto. Such an engine did not need a separate firebox, required less fuel, and was much lighter than a steam engine of similar power.

So European engineering thought, without looking back at the experience of past eras, paved its way to progress. Heron himself did not go further than theoretical research. He was forgotten for a long time, and the building of modern science was built almost without his help. However, it is difficult to underestimate the bold genius of this ancient scientist, whose incredible projects were able to get ahead of their time by whole millennia.

Some modern technologies, objects and knowledge were discovered and invented in ancient times. Fantasts in their works even use a special term to describe such phenomena: "chronoclasms" - the mysterious penetration of modern knowledge into the past. However, in reality, everything is simpler: most of this knowledge was indeed discovered by ancient scientists, but then, for some reason, they were forgotten about and rediscovered centuries later.

In this article, you will get to know one of the amazing scientists of antiquity more closely. He made a huge contribution to the development of science in his time, but most of his works and inventions have sunk into oblivion and have been undeservedly forgotten. His name is Heron of Alexandria.

Hero lived in Egypt in the city of Alexandria and therefore became known as Hero of Alexandria. Modern historians suggest that he lived in the 1st century AD. somewhere between 10-75 years old. It has been established that Heron taught at the Alexandria Museum, the scientific center of ancient Egypt, which also included the famous Library of Alexandria. Most of Heron's works are presented in the form of comments and notes to training courses in various academic disciplines. Unfortunately, the originals of these works have not been preserved, perhaps they perished in the flames of the fire that engulfed the Library of Alexandria in 273 AD, and possibly were destroyed in 391 AD. Christians, in a fit of religious fanaticism, crushed everything that reminded of pagan culture. Only rewritten copies of the works of Heron made by his students and followers have survived to our times. Some of them are in Greek and some are in Arabic. There are also translations into Latin made in the 16th century.

The most famous is Heron's "Metric" - a scientific work in which the definition of a spherical segment, a torus, rules and formulas for the exact and approximate calculation of the areas of regular polygons, the volumes of a truncated cone and a pyramid are given. The "Metric" gives the famous Heron formula for determining the area of a triangle on three sides, gives the rules for the numerical solution of quadratic equations and the approximate extraction of square and cube roots. In "Metrica" the simplest lifting devices - lever, block, wedge, inclined plane and screw, as well as some combinations of them, are explored. In this work, Heron introduces the term "simple machines" and uses the concept of moment of force to describe their work.
Many mathematicians accuse Heron of the fact that the "Metric" does not contain mathematical proofs of his conclusions. It really is. Heron was not a theorist, he preferred to explain all the formulas and rules he derived with clear practical examples. It is in the field of practice that Geron surpasses many of his predecessors. The best illustration of this is his work "On the Diopter", found only in 1814. This work outlines the methods for carrying out various geodetic works, and land surveying is carried out using a device invented by Heron - a diopter.

1) dioptra

The diopter was the prototype of the modern theodolite. Its main part was a ruler with sights fixed at its ends. This ruler rotated in a circle, which could occupy both horizontal and vertical positions, which made it possible to outline directions, both in the horizontal and vertical planes. For the correct installation of the device, a plumb line and a level were attached to it. Using this device and introducing rectangular coordinates, Heron could solve various problems on the ground: measure the distance between two points when one or both of them are inaccessible to the observer, draw a straight line perpendicular to an inaccessible straight line, find the level difference between two points, measure the area of the simplest figure, without even stepping on the measured area.
Back in the time of Heron, one of the masterpieces of ancient engineering was considered to be a water pipe on the island of Samos, designed by Evpalin and passing through a tunnel. Water through this tunnel was supplied to the city from a source located on the other side of Mount Kastro. It was known that in order to speed up the work, the tunnel was dug simultaneously from both sides of the mountain, which required high qualifications from the engineer who supervised the construction. The water supply worked for many centuries and surprised Heron's contemporaries, and Herodotus also mentioned it in his writings. It was from Herodotus that the modern world learned about the existence of the Evpalin tunnel. I learned, but did not believe, because it was believed that the ancient Greeks did not have the necessary technology to build such a complex object. Having studied the work of Heron "On the diopter" found in 1814, scientists received a second documentary confirmation of the existence of the tunnel. And only at the end of the 19th century did a German archaeological expedition really discover the legendary Evpalin tunnel.
Here is how in his work Geron gives an example of using the diopter he invented for the construction of the Evpalina tunnel:

Points B and D are the entrances to the tunnel. Point E is selected near point B, from which a segment EF is constructed along the mountain, perpendicular to segment BE. Further, a system of mutually perpendicular segments is built around the mountain until a line KL is obtained, on which a point M is selected and a perpendicular MD to the entrance to the tunnel D is built from it. Using the lines DN and NB, a triangle BND is obtained and the angle α is measured.

2) Odometer

The odometer was a small trolley mounted on two wheels of a specially selected diameter. The wheels turned exactly 400 times per milliatrium (an ancient measure of length, equal to 1598 m). By means of a gear train, numerous wheels and axles were brought into rotation, and pebbles falling into a special tray were an indicator of the distance traveled. In order to find out what distance was covered, it was only necessary to count the number of pebbles in the tray.

The internal device of the odometer.

3) Eolipylus

Eolipil (translated from the Greek as "the ball of the wind god Eol") was a tightly sealed cauldron with two tubes on the lid. A rotating hollow ball was installed on the tubes, on the surface of which two L-shaped nozzles were installed. Water was poured into the cauldron through the hole, the hole was closed with a cork, and the cauldron was installed over the fire. The water boiled, steam was formed, which entered the ball through the tubes and into the L-shaped pipes. With sufficient pressure, jets of steam, escaping from the nozzles, quickly rotated the ball. Built by modern scientists according to the drawings of Heron, the eolipil developed up to 3500 revolutions per minute!

When assembling the aeolipil, the scientists encountered the problem of sealing in the hinge joints of the ball and the steam supply tubes. With a large gap, the ball received a greater degree of freedom of rotation, but the steam easily escaped through the slots, and its pressure dropped rapidly. If the gap was reduced, the loss of steam disappeared, but the ball also rotated more difficult due to increased friction. We do not know how Heron solved this problem. It is possible that his aeolipil did not rotate as fast as the modern model.
Unfortunately, the eolipil did not receive due recognition and was not in demand either in the era of antiquity or later, although it made a huge impression on everyone who saw it. This invention was treated only as a fun toy. In fact, Heron's eolipil is the prototype of steam turbines, which appeared only after two millennia! Moreover, the aeolipilus can be considered one of the first jet engines. Before the discovery of the principle of jet propulsion, there was one step left: having an experimental setup in front of us, it was required to formulate the principle itself. Humanity spent almost 2000 years on this step. It is difficult to imagine what the history of mankind would have looked like if the principle of jet propulsion had become widespread 2000 years ago. Perhaps humanity would have long ago explored the entire solar system and reached the stars.

Interestingly, the re-invention of Heron's aeolipil took place in 1750. Hungarian scientist Ya.A. Segner built the prototype of the hydraulic turbine. The difference between the so-called Segner wheel and the eolipil is that the reactive force that rotates the device is created not by steam, but by a liquid jet. Currently, the Hungarian scientist's invention serves as a classic demonstration of jet propulsion in a physics course, and in fields and parks it is used to water plants.

4) steam boiler

The design was a large bronze container, with a coaxially mounted cylinder, a brazier and pipes for supplying cold and removing hot water. The boiler was very economical and provided fast water heating.

5) "Magic" door opening

As you know, in the era of antiquity, religion had a huge influence on people. There were many religions and temples, and everyone went to communicate with the gods where he liked best. Since the well-being of the priests of a particular temple directly depended on the number of parishioners, the priests tried to lure them with anything. It was then that they discovered the law, which is still in force today: nothing can attract people to the temple better than a miracle. However, Zeus descended from Mount Olympus no more often than manna from heaven fell from heaven. And parishioners had to be lured to the temple every day. To create divine miracles, the priests had to use the mind and scientific knowledge of Heron. One of the most impressive miracles was the mechanism he developed, which opened the doors to the temple when kindling a fire on the altar.

The air heated from the fire entered the vessel with water and squeezed out a certain amount of water into a barrel suspended on a rope. The barrel, filled with water, fell down and, with the help of a rope, rotated the cylinders that set the swing doors in motion. The doors opened. When the fire went out, the water from the barrel poured back into the vessel, and a counterweight suspended on a rope, rotating the cylinders, closed the doors.
Quite a simple mechanism, but what a psychological effect on the parishioners!

6) Holy water vending machine

Another invention that significantly increased the profitability of ancient temples was the holy water vending machine invented by Heron.

The internal mechanism of the device was quite simple, and consisted of a precisely balanced lever that operated a valve that opened under the weight of the coin. The coin fell through a slot onto a small tray and actuated a lever and a valve. The valve opened and some water came out. Then the coin would slide off the tray and the lever would return to its original position, closing the valve. According to some sources, a portion of "sacred" water in the time of Heron cost 5 drachmas.
This invention of Heron became the world's first vending machine and, despite the fact that it brought good profit, was forgotten for centuries. It was only at the end of the 19th century that vending machines were reinvented.

7) Vessels for "turning" water into wine

Perhaps the next invention of Heron was also actively used in temples.

The invention consists of two vessels connected by a tube. One of the vessels was filled with water, and the other with wine. A parishioner added a small amount of water to a vessel with water, water entered another vessel and displaced an equal amount of wine from it. A man brought water, and it "by the will of the gods" turned into wine! Isn't this a miracle?
And here is another design of a vessel invented by Heron for turning water into wine and vice versa.

Half of the amphora is filled with wine, and the other half with water. Then the neck of the amphora is closed with a cork. Extraction of liquid occurs with the help of a faucet located at the bottom of the amphora. In the upper part of the vessel under the protruding handles, two holes were drilled: one in the "wine" part, and the second in the "water" part. The goblet was brought to the faucet, the priest opened it and poured either wine or water into the goblet, imperceptibly plugging one of the holes with his finger.

8) Heron pump

The pump consisted of two interconnected piston cylinders equipped with valves, from which water was alternately forced out. The pump was powered by the muscular strength of two people who took turns pressing the shoulders of the lever. It is known that pumps of this type were later used by the Romans to extinguish fires and were of high quality workmanship and surprisingly accurate fitting of all parts. Until the discovery of electricity, pumps similar to them were often used, both for extinguishing fires and in the fleet for pumping water from holds in case of an accident.
As we can see, Heron developed three very interesting inventions: the eolipil, the piston pump and the boiler. By assembling them it was possible to get a steam engine. Such a task, for sure, was within the power of, if not Heron himself, then his followers. People already then knew how to create sealed containers, and, as can be seen from the example of a piston pump, they achieved significant success in the manufacture of mechanisms that require high precision manufacturing. The steam engine, of course, is not a jet engine, for the creation of which the knowledge of ancient scientists was clearly not enough, but it would also significantly accelerate the development of mankind.

9) Heron's oil lamp

The most common way of lighting in ancient times was lighting with oil lamps, in which an oil-soaked wick burned. The wick was a piece of rag and burned out rather quickly, and the oil also burned out. One of the main disadvantages of such lamps was the need to ensure that there was always enough wick above the surface of the oil, the level of which was constantly decreasing, to burn. If with one lamp it was easy to keep track of it, then with several lamps there was already a need for a servant who would regularly walk around the room and adjust the wicks in the lamps. Heron invented the automatic oil lamp.

The lamp consists of a bowl into which oil was poured and a device for supplying a wick. This device contained a float and a gear wheel connected to it. When the oil level dropped, the float lowered, rotated the gear wheel, and it, in turn, supplied a thin rail wrapped with a wick into the combustion zone. This invention was one of the first uses of a rack and pinion in conjunction with a gear wheel.

10) wind organ

The organ created by Heron was not original, but only an improved design of the hydraulics, a musical instrument invented by Ctesibius. Gidravlos - was a set of pipes with valves that created sound. Air was supplied to the pipes using a tank with water and a pump that created the necessary pressure in this tank. The valves of the pipes, as in a modern organ, were controlled using a manipulative keyboard. Heron proposed to automate hydraulics, using a wind wheel, which served as a drive for a pump that pumped air into the tank.

11) Fountain of Heron

Heron's fountain consists of three vessels placed one above the other and communicating with each other. The two lower vessels are closed, and the upper one has the shape of an open bowl into which water is poured. Water is also poured into the middle vessel, which is later closed. Through a tube running from the bottom of the bowl almost to the bottom of the lower vessel, water flows down from the bowl and, compressing the air located there, increases its elasticity. The lower vessel is connected to the middle vessel through a tube through which air pressure is transmitted to the middle vessel. By exerting pressure on the water, the air causes it to rise from the middle vessel through a tube to the upper bowl, where a fountain spouts from the end of this tube, which rises above the surface of the water. The water of the fountain, falling into the bowl, flows from it through a tube into the lower vessel, where the water level gradually rises, and the water level in the middle vessel decreases. Soon the fountain stops working. To start it again, you just need to swap the lower and middle vessels.

12) self propelled cabinet

For the first time in history, Geron developed a self-propelled mechanism.

The mechanism was a wooden cabinet mounted on four wheels. The interior of the cabinet was hidden behind the doors. The secret of movement was simple: a suspended plate slowly lowered inside the cabinet, setting the entire structure in motion with the help of ropes and shafts. A supply of sand was used as a speed regulator, which was gradually poured from the top of the cabinet to the bottom. The speed of lowering the slab was regulated by the speed of sand pouring, which depended on how wide the doors were opened, separating the upper part of the cabinet from the lower one.

13) Barulk

Heron's "Mechanics" is a scientific work unique for its time. This book has come down to us in the translation of an Arabic scholar of the 9th century AD. Costa al-Balbaki. Until the 19th century, this book was not published anywhere and was apparently unknown to science either during the Middle Ages or during the Renaissance. This is confirmed by the absence of lists of its text in the Greek original and in the Latin translation, and the absence of mention of it by scholastic authors. In "Mechanics" in addition to describing the simplest mechanisms: a wedge, a lever, a gate, a block, a screw, we find a mechanism created by Heron for lifting loads.

In the book, this mechanism appears under the name baroulk (baroulkos). It can be seen from the figure that this device is nothing more than a gearbox that is used as a winch. Geron's barulk consists of several gears driven by hand, and Geron takes the ratio of wheel diameter to axle diameter as 5:1, having previously assumed that the load to be lifted weighs 1000 talents (25 tons), and the driving force is 5 talents ( 125 kg).

14) automatic theater

Heron's work "On Automata" was popular during the Renaissance and was translated into Latin, and was also quoted by many scientists of that time. In particular, in 1501 Giorgio Valla translated some fragments of this work. Later translations by other authors followed.
The image of one of Heron's automata is known, which was cited in his book in 1589 by Giovanni Battista Aleoti.

Most of the drawings of Heron's mechanical puppets have not survived, but there are descriptions in various sources. It is known that Heron created a kind of puppet theater, which moved on wheels hidden from the audience and was a small architectural structure - four columns with a common plinth and architrave. The puppets on its stage, set in motion by a complex system of cords and gears, also hidden from the eyes of the public, reproduced the ceremony of the festival in honor of Dionysus. As soon as such a theater entered the city square, a fire flared up on its stage above the figure of Dionysus, wine was poured from a bowl on the panther lying at the feet of the deity, and the retinue began to dance to the music. Then the music and dancing stopped, Dionysus twisted in the other direction, the flame flared up in the second altar - and the whole action was repeated from the beginning. After such a performance, the puppets would stop and the performance would end. This action invariably aroused the interest of all residents, regardless of age. But the street performances of another puppet theater of Geron won no less success. This theater (pinaka) was very small in size, it was easily transferred from place to place. It was a small column, on top of which there was a model of the theater stage, hidden behind the doors. They opened and closed five times, dividing into acts the drama of the sad return of the conquerors of Troy. On a tiny stage, with exceptional skill, it was shown how the warriors built and launched sailing ships, sailed on them on a stormy sea and died in the abyss under the flashing of lightning and thunder. To simulate thunder, Heron created a special device in which balls fell out of the box and hit the board.

In his automatic theaters, Geron, in fact, used elements of programming: actions were performed by automatic machines in strict sequence, scenery replaced each other at the right moments. It is noteworthy that the main driving force that set the theater mechanisms in motion was gravity (the energy of falling bodies was used), elements of pneumatics and hydraulics were also used. The springs that became so widely used in renaissance automata were not used. The reason for this is simple: for the production of springs, high-quality steel alloys with elasticity are needed, which were not known to the metallurgists of antiquity.

Throughout his life, Heron created many different inventions that are interesting not only to his contemporaries, but also to us - living two millennia later.

HD video.

Living in a modern high-tech society, we are very proud of the inventions of our time, the development of technology, these main characteristics, "calling cards", as we believe, of our civilization.

However, it is worth looking back at least two thousand years ago, and we will be surprised to find that our inventions are not so ours. Something similar, it turns out, has already been invented and even quite successfully applied. And we are not talking about paleocontacts or "gifts of the gods", most likely, these are ordinary, although far from ordinary, fruits of human engineering

Many of these pearls of engineering thought were simply far ahead of their time, and only by this I can personally explain how, despite their usefulness, they could be forgotten by mankind, and even so much that they subsequently received a second life. This is exactly what happened with the very first steam engine.

Heron Alexandrinus, or Heron of Alexandria, was born in 10 AD in Alexandria (now part of Egypt and the second largest city after Cairo). There is little information about the life of Heron, however, it is known that his parents were Greeks who moved to Alexandria after its conquest by Alexander the Great. Heron was a mathematician and inventor, one of the greatest inventors of antiquity.

In the era of Heron, the great Library of Alexandria was in its heyday and, according to scientists, Heron had the opportunity to use this repository of human wisdom, knowledge and experience.

Aeolipylus - sphere of Heron

In fact, few people know that Heron was also the inventor of the first steam engine, a device that was called the aeolipil or "Heron's engine", or "Heron's ball".

Although some researchers believe that there were devices similar to the aeolipil even before Heron, he was the first to describe in detail its design and manufacturing method in his book Pneumatics, where in addition 78 more devices were described. Many of Heron's ideas were improvements by another Greek inventor who lived in Alexandria 300 years before him, one Ctesibius of Alexandria, who first mentioned the science of compressed air.

So what was this very aeolipil, the most ancient steam engine? It is a sphere capable of rotating around its axis. The sphere moved thanks to the steam ejected under pressure from a pair of nozzles. The nozzles were directed in opposite directions, resulting in a torque. It was this torque that made the sphere spin around its axis. The principle of operation is shown in the video at the end of this article.

The steam was generated by boiling water either inside or below the sphere, as in the figure. If the boiler is located under the sphere, then it is connected to it using a pair of pipes, which simultaneously serve as axes for it. A reproduced modern copy of the Heron steam engine is capable of accelerating to 1500 rpm at a relatively low pressure of 0.7 kg per square inch.

This invention was undeservedly forgotten until 1577, when the steam engine was reinvented by the philosopher, astronomer and inventor Taqi Al-Din. The principle of operation of the device described by him basically repeated the principle of the steam engine of Heron of Alexandria, with the exception that steam flows set the wheel in motion.

Another invention attributed to Heron, and in fact, being his improvement of the hydraulics already invented by Ctesibius, was the “wind wheel”. It was a windmill that was used to operate a device that looked like a modern organ.

Heron also invented the very first vending machine for the sale of holy water, automatic door opening, a fire engine, an autonomous fountain and many mechanisms for the Greek theater.

One such theatrical mechanical invention of his was the fully mechanized theatrical play. She worked without going into technical details, using a system of knots and ropes and simple mechanisms, and was even able to artificially create sounds of thunder and control the light during the performance.

His legacy includes machines powered by air, steam or pressurized water, architectural devices for lifting heavy objects, methods for calculating surfaces and quantities (including the method for calculating the square root), military mechanisms, as well as ways to control light using reflectors and mirrors.

"Wonderful" door opening. Heron's invention. Animated images P. Hausladen, RS. Vohringen

Definitely, Heron was a genius for his time, an incredibly progressive person. Unfortunately, most of his original writings have been lost, with the exception of a few surviving Arabic manuscripts. Who knows how many more incredible inventions of the ancient world, now forgotten, were described by Heron more than 2000 years ago.

Many of us, studying physics or the history of technology, are surprised to find that some modern technologies, objects and knowledge were discovered and invented in ancient times. Fantasts in their works even use a special term to describe such phenomena: "chronoclasms" - the mysterious penetration of modern knowledge into the past. However, in reality, everything is simpler: most of this knowledge was indeed discovered by ancient scientists, but then, for some reason, they were forgotten about and rediscovered centuries later.

In this article, I suggest you get to know one of the amazing scientists of antiquity more closely. He made a huge contribution to the development of science in his time, but most of his works and inventions have sunk into oblivion and have been undeservedly forgotten. His name is Heron of Alexandria.

Rice. 1. Hero of Alexandria

Hero lived in Egypt in the city of Alexandria and therefore became known as Hero of Alexandria. Modern historians suggest that he lived in the 1st century AD. somewhere between 10-75 years old. It has been established that Heron taught at the Alexandria Museum - the scientific center of ancient Egypt, which included the famous Alexandria Library. Most of Heron's works are presented in the form of comments and notes to training courses in various academic disciplines. Unfortunately, the originals of these works have not been preserved, perhaps they perished in the flames of the fire that engulfed the Library of Alexandria in 273 AD, and possibly were destroyed in 391 AD. Christians, in a fit of religious fanaticism, crushed everything that reminded of pagan culture. Only rewritten copies of the works of Heron made by his students and followers have survived to our times. Some of them are in Greek and some are in Arabic. There are also translations into Latin made in the 16th century.

The most famous is Heron's "Metric" - a scientific work that defines a spherical segment, a torus, rules and formulas for accurate and approximate calculation of the areas of regular polygons, volumes of a truncated cone and pyramid. The "Metric" gives the famous Heron formula for determining the area of a triangle on three sides, gives the rules for the numerical solution of quadratic equations and the approximate extraction of square and cube roots. The "Metric" explores the simplest lifting devices - lever, block, wedge, inclined plane and screw, as well as some combinations of them. In this work, Heron introduces the term "simple machines" and uses the concept of moment of force to describe their work.

Many mathematicians accuse Heron of the fact that the "Metric" does not contain mathematical proofs of his conclusions. It really is. Heron was not a theorist, he preferred to explain all the formulas and rules he derived with clear practical examples. It is in the field of practice that Geron surpasses many of his predecessors. The best illustration of this is his work "On the Diopter", found only in 1814. This work outlines the methods for carrying out various geodetic works, and land surveying is carried out using a device invented by Heron - a diopter.

Rice. 2. Diopter

Back in the time of Heron, one of the masterpieces of ancient engineering was considered to be a water pipe on the island of Samos, designed by Evpalin and passing through a tunnel. Water through this tunnel was supplied to the city from a source located on the other side of Mount Kastro. It was known that in order to speed up the work, the tunnel was dug simultaneously from both sides of the mountain, which required high qualifications from the engineer who supervised the construction. The water supply worked for many centuries and surprised Heron's contemporaries, and Herodotus also mentioned it in his writings. It was from Herodotus that the modern world learned about the existence of the Evpalin tunnel. I learned, but did not believe, because it was believed that the ancient Greeks did not have the necessary technology to build such a complex object. Having studied the work of Heron "On the diopter" found in 1814, scientists received a second documentary confirmation of the existence of the tunnel. And only at the end of the 19th century did a German archaeological expedition really discover the legendary Evpalin tunnel.

Here is how in his work Heron gives an example of using the diopter he invented to build the Evpalina tunnel.

Fig.3. Measurement scheme for the construction of the Evpalina tunnel

Points B and D are the entrances to the tunnel. Point E is selected near point B, from which a segment EF is constructed along the mountain, perpendicular to segment BE. Further, a system of mutually perpendicular segments is built around the mountain until a line KL is obtained, on which point M is selected and a perpendicular MD is built from it to the entrance to the tunnel D. Using the lines DN and NB, a triangle BND is obtained and the angle is measured?.

Among other things, in the 34th chapter of the work "On the diopter" Heron gives a description of the device he invented for measuring distances - the odometer.

Rice. 4. Odometer (appearance)

Rice. 5. Odometer (internal device)

One of the most interesting works of Heron is Pneumatics. The book contains descriptions of about 80 devices and mechanisms operating using the principles of pneumatics and hydraulics. The most famous device is the aeolipil (translated from Greek: "the ball of the wind god Aeolus").

Rice. 6. Eolipil

Eolipil was a tightly sealed cauldron with two tubes on the lid. A rotating hollow ball was installed on the tubes, on the surface of which two L-shaped nozzles were installed. Water was poured into the cauldron through the hole, the hole was closed with a cork, and the cauldron was installed over the fire. The water boiled, steam was formed, which entered the ball through the tubes and into the L-shaped pipes. With sufficient pressure, jets of steam, escaping from the nozzles, quickly rotated the ball. Built by modern scientists according to the drawings of Heron, the eolipil developed up to 3500 revolutions per minute!

Unfortunately, the eolipil did not receive due recognition and was not in demand either in the era of antiquity or later, although it made a huge impression on everyone who saw it. This invention was treated only as a fun toy. In fact, Heron's eolipil is the prototype of steam turbines, which appeared only after two millennia! Moreover, the aeolipilus can be considered one of the first jet engines. Before the discovery of the principle of jet propulsion, there was one step left: having an experimental setup in front of us, it was required to formulate the principle itself. Humanity spent almost 2000 years on this step. It is difficult to imagine what the history of mankind would have looked like if the principle of jet propulsion had become widespread 2000 years ago. Perhaps humanity would have long ago explored the entire solar system and reached the stars. I admit, sometimes the thought arises that the development of mankind was deliberately delayed by someone or something for centuries. However, we will leave this topic for development by science fiction writers ...

Another outstanding invention of Heron associated with the use of steam is a steam boiler.

Rice. 7. Steam boiler Heron

A significant part of Heron's "Pneumatics" is occupied by a description of various siphons and vessels, from which water flows by gravity through a tube. The principle inherent in these designs is successfully used by modern drivers, if necessary, pour gasoline from a car tank.

Rice. 8. The scheme of the "magic" opening of the doors in the temple

Quite a simple mechanism, but what a psychological effect on the parishioners!

Another invention that significantly increased the profitability of ancient temples was the holy water vending machine invented by Heron.

Rice. 9. Holy water vending machine

This invention of Heron became the world's first vending machine and, despite the fact that it brought good profit, was forgotten for centuries. It was only at the end of the 19th century that vending machines were reinvented.

Perhaps the next invention of Heron was also actively used in temples.

Rice. 10. Vessels for "turning" water into wine

And here is another design of a vessel invented by Heron for turning water into wine and vice versa.

Rice. 11. Amphora for pouring wine and water

A unique invention for its time was the water pump, the design of which is described by Heron in his work "Pneumatics".

Rice. 12. Heron pump

As we can see, Heron developed three very interesting inventions: the eolipil, the piston pump and the boiler. By assembling them it was possible to get a steam engine. Such a task, for sure, was within the power of, if not Heron himself, then his followers. People already then knew how to create sealed containers, and, as can be seen from the example of a piston pump, they achieved significant success in the manufacture of mechanisms that require high precision manufacturing. The steam engine, of course, is not a jet engine, for the creation of which the knowledge of ancient scientists was clearly not enough, but it would also significantly accelerate the development of mankind. Why didn't this happen?

Rice. 13. Heron's oil lamp

Another invention of Heron, intended for temples, was an organ powered by wind.

Rice. 14. Gidravlos upgraded by Heron

Those who are lucky enough to have a school physics teacher are probably aware of the famous Heron Fountain.

Rice. 15. Fountain of Heron

Geron's "Pneumatics" also describes the design of the syringe.

Rice. 16. Heron's syringe

Unfortunately, it is not known for sure whether this device was used for medical purposes in the era of antiquity. It is also not known whether the Frenchman Charles Pravaz and the Scotsman Alexander Wood, who are considered the inventors of the modern medical syringe, knew about its existence.

For the first time in history, Geron developed a self-propelled mechanism.

Rice. 17. Self-propelled cabinet

Rice. 18. Barulk

Geron devoted the works "On military vehicles", "On the manufacture of throwing machines" to the basics of artillery and described in them several designs of crossbows, catapults, ballistas.

Rice. 19. Ballista (modern reconstruction)

If the works of Heron in the field of mathematics and engineering glorified him among a narrow circle of scientists of that time, then among the general public he was known for his automatic theaters. Heron's work evoked in people a feeling of surprise and admiration for the possibilities of technical thought. Many of his creations served educational purposes and demonstrated not only the possibilities of science, but also introduced contemporaries to the facts of history and myths of Hellas.

The image of one of Heron's automata is known, which was cited in his book in 1589 by Giovanni Battista Aleoti. This video file shows a reconstruction of one of Heron's movable automata.

Rice. 20. One of Heron's submachine guns

Rice. 21. Thunder Simulator

Throughout his life, Heron created many different inventions, interesting not only to his contemporaries, but also to us - living two millennia later. In this article, the author presented only the most famous of them, and you can find descriptions of other equally interesting inventions (for example, a boiler, a pneumatic door opening alarm) using the sources below.

Bathyscaphe O. PicardLiterature

1. Michael Lahanas "Heron of Alexandria" http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/HeronAlexandria.htm

2. The Pneumatics of Hero of Alexandria (from the original greek translated for and edited by Bennet Woodcroft) http://www.history.rochester.edu/steam/hero/index.html

3. An Aeoli- What?!? by Katie Crisalli http://www.pr.afrl.af.mil/aeolipile.html

4. Ancient Inventions http://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsclist.htm

5. Technical Works by Heron of Alexandria, Aristides Quintilianus and Johannes Pediasimos, with diagrams, later 16th century http://image.ox.ac.uk/show?collection=magdalen&manuscript=msgr12

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