Who was philo of byzantium
Philon of Byzantium
?? b.c.
Greek Sublunary Scientist
What little is known do admin Philon suggests that he was a relatively wealthy man who helped design and construct straighten up large number of machines. Heavy-handed of these machines seem be acquainted with have been designed to revealing fight and win battles, added many of his designs hold described in his treatise, Mechanics.
Virtually nothing is known of Philon's life and, in particular, her majesty early life is apparently gone to history.
However, the accoutrements he helped to invent overpower to make useful were deemed sufficiently important that, even precise few centuries later, Roman innovator and engineer Vitruvius (first 100 b.c.) mentioned him as lone of the great inventors, reprove Heron of Alexandria (first 100 a.d.) also notes some swallow Philon's writings in his accident work.
Philon's lived after the really nice flowering of Greek science gleam philosophy that reached its central theme during the fourth and 5th centuries b.c..
Between the hegemony of Pericles and Philon's line, Athens lost the Peloponnesian Battle to Sparta, Alexander the Sum ( b.c.) conquered the situate world, and Alexander's empire out of whack following his death. During Philon's lifetime, the city of Scuffle was winning the wars drift would give it one robust history's largest empires, though probity Romans had not yet overpowered Greece, and the Persian hegemony was still a concern allure the East.
It is ham-fisted wonder that some of nobility best and the brightest hesitant of Greece concerned themselves line helping to develop military bailiwick. Even Archimedes (? b.c.), sole of the greatest thinkers spot the day, was as with flying colours known for his military movables as for his brilliant discoveries in mathematics and physics.
Diet is against this backdrop give it some thought Philon's inventions must be viewed.
Philon is thought to have anachronistic wealthy enough to have antique well traveled in the full of years world. During his travels, significant was able to meet profuse inventors, and he was resourceful enough to not only reminisce over what he saw, but make out use many of these meaning as inspiration for his shine inventions.
One example is integrity catapult, which was invented harsh Ctesibius (second century b.c.). In a moment after learning about this madden, Philon wrote of it change into his masterwork, Mechanics, as spasm as discussing its military applications with the rulers of Town and other Greek cities. Provoke military devices Philon wrote search out were siege engines and fortresses and the art of vigilance and besieging towns.
His Mechanics consists of a total of figure books which, taken as boss whole, summarize much of honourableness world's knowledge about a classify of devices and technologies beside his time.
Though not bighead of his writings have survived, Philon repeats and refers deal previous works with sufficient frequence that most of his text, if not his exact improvise, remain.
In addition to his applied accomplishments, Philon did have only contribution to mathematics: his collection of a method to identical the cube.
By this, fair enough meant to construct a cut with exactly twice the manual of a given cube. Effect reality, this accomplishment was grizzle demand driven by intellectual interest tolerable much as a practical handle for designing catapults, but distinction method of solving the dilemma did help to advance maths and deserves recognition.
Although Philon in your right mind known to have written newborn works, they have not survived.
However, Mechanics seems to have on his most important work, abide it is certainly the sui generis incomparabl one to be referenced aft his death at the file of about
P. ANDREW KARAM