Britannica AI Icon

aeolipile: Media

steam turbine

Videos

Examine How Steam from the Aeolipile's Equatorial Tubes Causes the Sphere to Revolve
The aeolipile was designed by Heron of Alexandria; it was used to power toys and...
Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

A working model of an aeolipile connected with pipework to a steam boiler
An aeolipile was a hollow sphere mounted so that it could turn on a pair of hollow...
© Science and Society Picture Library/Getty Images
An image depicting Heron of Alexandria demonstrating an aeolipile to a group of men
The purpose of Heron's aeolipile is a matter of some conjecture. A number of sources...
© Sunny Celeste— imageBROKER/Getty Images
An engraving, c. 19th century, showing an image of an aeolipile, a steam-powered device that spins when the central water container is heated to a boil
Although the aeolipile was not used as a tool or a power source in antiquity, it...
© Universal History Archive—Universal Images Group/Getty Images