280?-220? B.C.

Greek Physical Scientist

What little is known of Philon suggests that he was a relatively wealthy man who helped design and construct a large number of machines. Most of these machines seem to have been designed to help fight and win battles, and many of his designs are described in his treatise, Mechanics.

Virtually nothing is known of Philon's life and, in particular, his early life is apparently lost to history. However, the devices he helped to invent or to make useful were considered sufficiently important that, even a few centuries later, Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius (first century B.C.) mentioned him as one of the great inventors, and Heron of Alexandria (first century A.D.) also notes some of Philon's writings in his own work.

Philon's lived after the great flowering of Greek science and philosophy that reached its...