BYZANTINE Philo (Philon)

Philo of Byzantium; Philon, III or II century. BC. e., Greek writer, mechanic. Information about his life not. He wrote Mechanik (Mechanike syntaksis) in 9 books, of which only completely preserved section on catapults (Belopoliika), and in fragments and sections of the military siege techniques (Paraskenastika and Poliorketika). In the Arabic translation and Latin retelling extant Pneumatics. In the lost books of Mechanics commented on the general principles of mechanics, mainly from a practical point of view, then on the levers, the construction of ports, the construction of automatic devices. F. had a great influence on Heron of Alexandria. His work is one of the first monuments to the literary koine and the most eloquent testimony to the achievements of Greek technology. Under the name V. (Pseudo-Philo) conservation of the works of the seven wonders of the world (Peri ton hepta theamaton), weak in the literary description of the masterpieces of ancient art and technology, dating back to a much later time (V in. n. e.?).