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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ancient coin hunter, post: 3242664, member: 87200&quot;]Hero of Alexandria (10 A.D. - 70 A.D.) was a native of his home city and a mathematician and engineer. One of his inventions was the aeliopile, a steam powered engine that revolved a shaft...by utilizing the principles of jet propulsion:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]849109[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Another invention, and perhaps more interesting for coin enthusiasts was his coin-operated vending machine, one of the first examples of automation in the ancient world, that dispensed a specific amount of holy water. When the coin was deposited, it fell upon a pan attached to a lever. The lever opened up a valve which let some water flow out. The pan continued to tilt with the weight of the coin until it fell off, at which point a counter-weight would snap the lever back up and turn off the valve!</p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s one of the coins that may have been used by worshipers in the time of Hero:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]849110[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>One wonders what god was being worshiped by the adorants, perhaps Serapis!</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I thought this would be an interesting little snippet of information on a Thanksgiving Day!!! Enjoy the turkey and trimmings all![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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