Medieval and Early Modern Greek Manuscripts : Hero

Medieval and Early Modern Greek Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'> This manuscript contains <i> Hero</i>'s <i> Pneumatica</i>, a treatise about devices worked by compressed air, steam, and water. The work is commonly attributed to Hero of Alexandria (1st c. CE), Greek engineer, inventor, and mathematician. </p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The book seems to have been a gift to Ernest of Bavaria (1554-1612), who was bishop of Freising (1566), Hildesheim (1573), and Liège (1581), abbot of Stavelot-Malmedy (1581), archbishop and prince-elector of Cologne (1583), and bishop of Münster (1585). There is a dedication letter to him at the beginning of the manuscript by Josephus Auria (Giuseppe d'Auria), Italian mathematician from Naples, who was active between the second half of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The manuscript was copied by Ioannes Mauromates, Greek scribe from Corfu, who was active in Italy - specifically, in Venice, Rome, Florence and Bologna - in the second half of the 16th century (see RGK I, 171, Cataldi Palau (2000)). He probably copied this manuscript while he was in Rome in the years 1555-1573 (see Cataldi Palau (2000), p. 377). Mauromates copied Hero's <i> Pneumatica</i> in three other manuscripts, while he was in Rome in the years 1548-1552/53 ( Cataldi Palau (2000), pp. 375-376): <div> Roma, Biblioteca Angelica, gr. 109<br /> Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Suppl. gr. 11<br /><a target='_blank' class='externalLink' href='http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Harley_MS_5605'> London, British Library, Harley MS 5605</a>.<br /></div><br /></p><p style='text-align: justify;'> Dr Erika Elia</p>