Pneumatica

book by Heron of Alexandria

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 1, 2026

Quick Summary

Pneumatica is a work by Heron of Alexandria, a Greek geometer and inventor who lived around 62 AD. The book details various mechanical devices and "toys" that utilize air pressure or steam. Among its contents are descriptions of singing birds, automated puppets, coin-operated machines, a fire engine, and a water organ.1

Heron's most famous invention described in Pneumatica is the aeolipile, considered the first steam-powered engine. This device features a sphere mounted on a boiler, with two angled nozzles that cause the sphere to rotate as steam escapes. The term "pneumatic" itself relates to air or wind, often referring to things moved or worked by air pressure. Compressed air, air reduced in volume and held under pressure, is used in many tools and instruments.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Heron of Alexandria
…that remain in Greek are Pneumatica, Automatopoietica, Belopoeica, and Cheirobalistra. The Pneumatica, in two books, describes a menagerie of mechanical devices, or “toys”: singing birds, puppets, coin-operated machines, a fire engine, a water organ, and his most famous invention, the aeolipile, the first steam-powered engine. This last device consists of…
Read More
…that remain in Greek are Pneumatica, Automatopoietica, Belopoeica, and Cheirobalistra. The Pneumatica, in two books, describes a menagerie of mechanical devices, or “toys”: singing birds, puppets, coin-operated machines, a fire engine, a water organ, and his most famous invention, the aeolipile, the first steam-powered engine. This last device consists of…
Read More