The Steam Oracle

Another machine described by Hero, deserves to be mentioned here, not on account of the use to which it was put, which was only to aid superstition, but on account of it;s similarity in some respects to more modern inventions.

This apparatus, which may be denominated the Steam-oracle, consisted of an altar with it's fire lighted, and two figures of preists assisting in the sacrifices, with the figure of a dragon (an appropriate symbol!), pretending to sibyllate, or foretel future events. On a hollow base was placed the altar,having a tube descending from it below the middle of the base, and there separating into three branches; one of these passed upwards in the interior of the dragon to it's mouth; the other two passed upwards respectively in the interior of the other figures to the close covers of two vessels within them, containing wine, and in which they were fitted so as to be air-tight. In these wine vessels, were placed two syphons similarly fitted, having their shorter ends in the wine, and their longer ends in the hands of the figures which officiate at the sacrifices.

A few drops of water being introduced into the tubes, the heat of the fire caused their vapour or steam to ascend in two of its branches to the wine-vessels, where, pressing on the wine, it was made to pass through the syphons and flow from the hands of the preistly figures, who thus appeared to sacrifice as long as the fire burned on the altar; the same heat caused the steam likewise to ascend in the third branch to the mouth of the dragon, and produce sounds which were ascribed to supernatural interference, and deemed oracular by the spectators.

In this apparatus, we percieve the germ of the principle of raising of water by the pressure of steam, employed by Savery; and an anticipation of the method of producing sound by the steam-whistle used in locomotives on railways. There is, indeed, reason to suppose that to the knowledge of the elements of machinery, the ancients added some acquaintance with the power of steam. Pausanias compared the sounds emitted by the statue of Memnon to those produced by the snapping of harp-strings. Strabo states that he heard the same sounds; and Philostratus affirms that when the sun shone with full force on the statue, sounds issued from it's mouth similar to those of stringed instruments.