He was strongly influenced by the works of Ctesibius of Alexandria, another Greek inventor in Ptolemaic Egypt. As a student, he loved to wander the shelves of the library in the University of Alexandria. Researchers believe that he was most likely of Greek origin and lived around 10 - 70 A.D.
In these ancient temples, Heron used hydraulic and steam power to create singing birds, bursts of flame, and moving statues in the hopes of inspiring awe-and devotion-into would-be disciples.Īnd in the process of manufacturing these man-made miracles, Heron invented something that would change the world-the aeolipile, otherwise known as the world’s first steam engine. To stand out, priests turned to Heron-also known as Mechanikos, meaning “machine man”- to engineer celestial phenomena.īut the Greek wunderkind didn’t rely on the favor of his pantheon of gods to create the impossible, instead he used science and engineering that wouldn’t be seen again for more than a millennium.
The city quickly sprouted new mystery cults, practiced new forms of worship, and even created whole new gods from the melting pot of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian influences.Īnd with so many temples claiming to have divine answers, competition for followers was stiff. Nearly half-a-century after the reign of Caesar Augustus, the Empire was approaching its historical high water mark and new religious influences began to trickle in across its 2.2 million-square-mile expanse. In 62 A.D., the Roman Empire’s cultural capital of Alexandria, hugging the northern shore of Egypt, was a tide pool of new religions.
0 kommentar(er)
