THE STEAM MOBILITY OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS

The most important steam machine of the ancient years is the “Aeolipile” (aeolosphere), a steam turbine that is preserved and described by Heron of Alexandria (1st century A.D.) in his “Pneumatica”. A sphere is placed over a closed boiler and communicates therewith. The boiler’s water is heated, becomes steam and emerges with speed from the two curved nozzles of the sphere, which rotates in a mad way (in accordance with the momentum conservation principle and the action-reaction law).

Given the ability of controlled transmission of movement during the Hellenistic period, if the socio-economic and political conditions allowed so, this admirable innovation would have resulted to the “Industrial revolution” with unforeseeable consequences for humanity.