The Automatic Theater, Heron of Alexandria. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
A precise reconstruction of Heron's mobile automatice theatre which presents the myth of Dionysos
Act 1. The mobile theatre moves automatically to another programmed position doing compilations of rectilinear and circular movements
Act 2. Fire is lit on the altar in front of Dionysos. Water springs from his holy stick and wine from his cup is poured on the the small panther
Act 3. The place around the four columns of the base is crowned with flowers. The sound of drums and cymbals are heared while the six Bacches are moved dancing around the temple.
Act 4: The musical instruments stop and Dionysos turns to the other side of the temple. The winged Nike (Victory) turns with him.
Act 5: Fire lights on the other altar of the temple and from his holy stick water springs again and from his cup wine is poured onto the small panther
Act 6: The sound of drums and cymbals are heared again while the six Bacches are moved backwards dancing around the temple.
Act 7. The musical instruments stop and the mobile theatre moves automatically to its initial position by moving backward doing compilations of rectilinear and circular movements.
All these are accomplished automatically by the movement of tenths of meters of wisely programmed threads that are pulled by the force of a lead weight that falls with equal speed in a clepsydra with milet. With the clockwise, the releasing and the counter-clockwise winding of threads around axises and reels is accomplished :
a) the forward movement (rectilinear or circular) of the automatic and the clockwise turns of the mechanisms.
b) stilllness and
c) the backward movement (rectilinear or circular) of the automatc and the counter-clockwise turns of the mechanism. To start the show, the rope from the front side of the base need only be pulled.
The "Staton" Automatic Theater, the "cinema "of the ancient Greeks, Heron of Alexandria. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
The Automatic Theater, Heron of Alexandria. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
The wheel-box for the movement of the theatre, the mechaniscm for the timing for the left or right turns fo the two independent moving wheels and the mechanisms for the increase or the reduction of speed. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
The mechanism for the lighting of fire on the altars. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
The timing mechanism for the left and right turn of the Bacches' dance and the mechanism of the columns' crowning. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
The mechanisms of sound production from drums and cymbals. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
The hydraulic mechanism for the synchronization of the liquid flow and the mechanism for Dionysos' turn. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
The mechanism for Nike's (Victory's) turn and the tanks for the liquid storage with the tubes that penetrate the holed columns. Photo : Augusta Stylianou Artist
From "Ancient Greek Technology" exhibition at the Evagoras & Kathleen Lanitis Centre in Carob Mill Limassol
Replicas and Reconstruction by Prof . Kostas Kotsanas and his students
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