Philo of Byzantium

Philo of Byzantium was a Greek engineer and writer of the Hellenistic period. His surviving technical treatises describe machines, fortifications, and military devices.

Hellenistic period: The era from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE to the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE. Philo's engineering and writing belong to this era of Greek kingdoms and technical exchange.
Poliorcetica: A Hellenistic Greek treatise on the construction and defense of fortified cities, attributed to Philo of Byzantium. It is Philo's principal surviving work on fortifications and defensive engineering.
Philo's Pneumatics: A Greek treatise on devices powered by air, water, and pressure, transmitted under Philo's name. It preserves a different strand of the technical corpus associated with Philo.
Hero of Alexandria: A Greek mathematician and engineer of Roman Egypt who wrote on mechanics, pneumatics, and measurement. Hero drew on earlier engineering traditions that overlap with Philo's technical subjects.
Ancient Greek technology: The tools, machines, and technical practices developed or used by ancient Greek societies. Philo's treatises preserve evidence for Greek mechanical and military techniques.
Parangelmata Poliorcetica: A Greek technical treatise describing the construction and operation of siege engines. This work preserves detailed instructions associated with Philo's military engineering.
Pneumatics: The study and use of pressurized air and other gases to transmit force or operate devices. Philo's attributed pneumatic devices belong to the ancient history of this mechanical field.
De architectura: A treatise on architecture and engineering written in Latin by Vitruvius in the first century BCE. Vitruvius is a key witness to the circulation of earlier Greek mechanical knowledge.
Hellenistic engineering: The engineering practices and machines developed in the Greek-speaking kingdoms after Alexander's conquests. Philo worked within a technical culture that combined mathematical inquiry and practical design.
Gastraphetes: An ancient Greek mechanical bow braced against the abdomen and drawn with a sliding stock. Philo's account helps document the development of powerful mechanically drawn bows.

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