Heron of Alexandria
We tend to think of the modern age as the age of machines, but once we delve into evidence from the ancient world, we see that machine innovation has been an element of civilization for millennia. The invention of machines in the Greco-Roman world was generally the realm of philosophers, who created their machines as an outgrowth of their inquiry into the forces of the natural world and mathematics. That is, philosophers, who were concerned with a wide range of subjects that we have since compartmentalized into various academic professions (mathematician, physicist, astronomer, etc.), did not pursue making machines as their primary goal. So calling Archimedes or Heron an inventor only represents part of their work. They generally created machines to show how the elements (wind, air, fire, water) worked and could be harnessed to augment human activity, whether in everyday life or in warfare.
Archimedes is one of the most famous philosophers from the ancient world. Some of his most famous inventions were the Archimedes Screw and the Claw of Archimedes.
The Archimedes Screw is still in use today around the world.
Kinderdijk, modern Archimedes' screw in a Pumping station in Kinderdijk, The Netherlands. Picture by M.A. Wijngaarden. (via Wikipedia)
Graphic of the Archimedes Screw, created by Silberwolf (size changed by: Jahobr)
Heron, who lived in Alexandria in the first century AD, was also a philosopher whose creations tested the forces of nature. One of his most famous inventions that harnessed fire, air and water, was the steam engine. In a world where slave labor dominated and slaves outnumbered free citizens 2:1, this machine never found a practical use. (As an aside, what if it had? That, my reader, is a subject for an alternate history book! Go for it, it’s not my genre). Like Archimedes, Heron created machines that had practical and military uses. He also, however, seems to have had a theatrical side- that is, he created amazing automata, the primary purpose of which was entertainment. These devices worked on their own and told a story. Often, they wheeled themselves on and off stage. It was important for Heron that the theater be set on a slender pedestal or stand so that the audience could see that no tiny human was inside, working the machine!
This model, created by Prof. Richard Beacham and Janis Atelbauers, demonstrates how the theater worked. Powered by weights and a complex network of ropes wound around dowels, the system of the automatic theater is widely recognized as the first computer program.
These powers of intellect and imagination, coupled together, serve as one of my inspirations in writing. The philosophers of the ancient world did not view their work through the lens of limitation. We are easily surprised by how much they accomplished because we often view their world as simple and crude. In reality, their innovations have accompanied and inspired those of our age.