Philo of the Byzantine

Philo of Byzantium ( Φίλων Βυζάντιος , Philo the Elder , III century BC. E.) - Ancient Greek engineer , mechanic , mathematician and poet (not to be confused with Philo of Alexandria, a philosopher Jew) ^{[1] [2]} . Known for his works on applied mechanics, preserved to this day. He also owns one of the solutions to the problem of doubling the cube, described by Evtokiy in the commentary to the treatise of Archimedes "On the sphere and cylinder . "

As a military engineer by profession, Philo worked both in Alexandria and in Rhodes . His main work on the use of scientific knowledge in military affairs is set forth in a 9-volume treatise, most of which has come down to us. He also shared the passions of the Alexandrians with all kinds of trinkets. One of his inventions was an octagonal ink tank with holes on each side. It was possible to turn the octahedron upside down, and ink would not spill. The secret was that inside the inkwell there was a system of concentric metal rings, later known as “ cardan gimbal ”, supporting the vessel with ink in a vertical position regardless of the position of the ink tank. The gimbal suspension was reinvented during the Chinese Han Dynasty around 100 BC. e. and reopened (or borrowed from China) in Europe in the X century.

Under his name, the work “On the Seven Wonders of the World” ( Περὶ τῶν ἑπτὰ θεαμάτων ) is preserved .

Among his many poetic works was a verse on the history of Jerusalem . Philo the Elder wrote an epic poem about the foundation of Jerusalem in Homer hexameters. In another work, he described the sacrifice of Isaac and the stay of Joseph in Egypt ^[3] . He also wrote a book about the kings of Judah. Josephus mentioned his work on the Jews in his book Against Apion (I.218).