Skip to main content

Some Inventions by Engineers of the Hellenistic Age

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms

Part of the book series: History of Mechanism and Machine Science ((HMMS,volume 32))

  • 1292 Accesses

Abstract

Some examples indicating the surprising level of the technical and scientific knowledge of the Hellenistic scientists and engineers are presented. The latter concern the measuring of the time, the self-propelled carts, the throwing machines and the automatic devices. Some of them, in fact, already contain the concept of automation. A brief reference is also made to the steam cannon.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Rossi, C.: Some examples of the Hellenistic surprising knowledge: its possible origin from the east and its influence on later Arab and European engineers. Rivista Storica dell’Antichità XLIV, 1–84 (2014). ISSN 0300-340X

    Google Scholar 

  2. Rossi, C., Russo, F., Russo, F.: Ancient Engineers’ Inventions. Springer, Precursors of the present (2009). ISBN 978-90-481-2252-3

    Google Scholar 

  3. Vitruvius, M.: De Architectura. Liber X

    Google Scholar 

  4. Russo, F., Rossi, C., Ceccarelli, M., Russo, F.: Devices for distance and time measurement at the time of the Roman empire. In: International Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms: Proceedings of Hmm 2008, pp. 101-114. Tainan, Taiwan, 10–14 Nov 2008

    Google Scholar 

  5. Baldi, B.: Di Herone Alessandrino de gli avtomati ouero machine se moventi libri due. Tradotti dal greco da B. Baldi. - Venezia 1602. http://echo.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/ECHOdocuView/ECHOzogiLib?url=/mpiwg/online/permanent/library/M5C8103Y/pageimg&pn=36&ws=2&mode=imagepath&start=1

  6. Webb, B.: The first mobile robot? In: Proceedings of TIMR 99 Towards intelligent Mobile Robots (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Sharkey, N.: The programmable robot of ancient Greece—new scientist issue 2611, pp. 32–35. 4 July 2007

    Google Scholar 

  8. Heronis opera quae supersunt omnia ed. W. Schmidt/L. Nix/H. Schöne/J. L. Heiberg Leipzig 1899 sqq. http://www.hs-augsburg.de/~harsch/graeca/Chronologia/S_post01/Heron/her_autphtml

  9. Heron of Alessandria – Perì Automatopoietikès – http://www.hs-augsburg.de/~harsch/graeca/Chronologia/S_post01/Heron/her_autp.html

  10. Baldi, B.: Di Herone Alessandrino de gli avtomati ouero machine se moventi libri due. Tradotti dal greco da B. Baldi. - Venezia 1602

    Google Scholar 

  11. Rossi, C., Pagano, S.: A study on possible motors for siege towers. J. Mech. Des. 133, 1–8 (2011). ISSN 1050-0472

    Google Scholar 

  12. Siculus, D.: Bibliotheca historica, liber XX – from: Diodori Bibliotheca historica. Bekker et L. Dindorf; recogn. Fr. Vogel B. G. Teubner, 1985. Bibliotheca scriptorum graecorum et romanorum Teubneriana, Fac-sim. de la 3e éd., [s.l.] : [s.n.], Chapitre96 (1890). http://mercure.fltr.ucl.ac.be/Hodoi/concordances/diodore_20/lecture/default.htm

  13. Publius Flavius Vegezius Renatus - Epitoma Rei Militaris, Liber IV, cap.XVII. http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/vegetius4.html

  14. Cesare, G.G.: De Bello Gallico, Liber II, XXX et XXXI

    Google Scholar 

  15. Siculus, D.: Bibliotheca historica, liber XX – from: Diodori Bibliotheca historica. Bekker et L. Dindorf; recogn. Fr. Vogel B. G. Teubner, 1985. Bibliotheca scriptorum graecorum et romanorum Teubneriana, Fac-sim. de la 3e éd., s.l.. : s.n.. (1890)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Marsden, E.W.: Greek and Roman Artillery Historical Development. Oxford University Press II (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Marsden, E.W.: Greek and Roman Artillery, pp. 106–184. Technical treatises, Oxford (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Russo, F.: L’artiglieria delle legioni romane. Ist. Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (2004). ISBN 88-240-3444-6

    Google Scholar 

  19. Russo, F.: Tormenta Navalia. L’artiglieria navale romana, USSM Italian Navy, Roma (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Simms, B.L.: Archimedes and the burning mirrors of syracuse. Technol. Cult. 18(1), 1–24 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Simms, B.L.: Archimedes and the invention of artillery and gunpowder. Technol. Cult. 22(1), 67–79 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Simms, B.L.: Galen on Archimedes: burning mirrors or burning pitch?. Technol. Cult. 32(1), 91–96 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Rossi, C.: Archimedes cannon against the Roman fleet ? In: Plenary Lecture at the International Conference of “The Genius of Archimedes”, pp. 113–131. Syracuse, Italy, 8–10 June 2010

    Google Scholar 

  24. Rossi C., Unich A. (2013) A Study on Possible Archimede’s Cannon. Rivista Storica dell’Antichità. Vol. XLIII. ISSN 0300-340X

    Google Scholar 

  25. Chondros, T.G.: The development of machine design as a science from classical times to modern era HMM 2008. In: International Symposium on History of Machines and Mechanisms. Proceedings Published by the Springer, Tainan, Taiwan, Netherland, 11-14, Nov 2008. ISBN 987-1-4020-9484-2 (Print) 978-1-4020-9485-9 (Online)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Chondros, T.G.: Archimedes (287–212 BC) history of mechanism and machine science 1, Distinguished figures in mechanism and machine science, Their contributions and legacies, Part 1. Ceccarelli, M. (Ed.), University of Cassino, Italy. Springer, The Netherlands (2007). ISSBN 978-1-4020-6365-7

    Google Scholar 

  27. Rossi, C.: Ancient throwing machines: a method to compute their performances. Mech. Mach. Theory 51, 1–13 (2012). ISSN 0094-114X

    Google Scholar 

  28. Rossi, C., Messina, A., Savino, S., Reina, G.: Performance of Greek-Roman artillery. Arms Armour, J. R. Armouries 12(1), 66–88 (2015). ISSN 1741-6124, online ISSN 1749-6268

    Google Scholar 

  29. Rossi, C., Russo, F.: A reconstruction of the Greek-Roman repeating catapult. Mech. Mach. Theory 45(1), 36–45 (2010). ISSN 0094-114X

    Google Scholar 

  30. Shramm, E.: Die antiken Geschütze der Saalburg. Saalburg Museum, Reprint, Bad Homburg (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Soedel, V., Foley, V.: Ancient catapults. Sci. Am. (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Rossi, C.: Guest editorial “On designs by ancient engineers”. J. Mech. Des. Trans. ASME 135(6), art. no. 060301 (2013). doi:10.1115/1.4024

  33. Lazos, C.: Schematics of steam cannon built by I. Sakas; from “Archimedes: The Ingenious Engineer”, p. 183. Athens (1995) (in Greek). http://www.cs.drexel.edu/~crorres/bbc_archive/steam_cannon_schematic.jpg

  34. Archimedes’s Steam Cannon (M.I.T. website). http://web.mit.edu/2.009/www/experiments/steamCannon/ArchimedesSteamCannon.html

  35. Messina, A., Rossi, C.: Mechanical behavior and performance of the onager. J. Mech. Des. 137(3), 034501 (2015) (5 pages); Paper No: MD-14–1276. doi:10.1115/1.4029319

    Google Scholar 

  36. Chondros, T.G., Milidonis, K., Paipetis, S., Rossi C.: The trojan horse reconstruction. Mech. Mach. Theory 90, 261–282 (2015). ISSN 0094-114X

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Rossi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Rossi, C. (2016). Some Inventions by Engineers of the Hellenistic Age. In: López-Cajún, C., Ceccarelli, M. (eds) Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol 32. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31184-5_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31184-5_14

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31182-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31184-5

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics