He descended from the city of Byzantium, lived in Rhodes and eventually settled in Alexandria. He was probably younger than Ctesibius, though some place him a century earlier. He compiled numerous treatises on applied mechanics, the most important of which is Michaniki Syntaxis (Mechanical Syntax).
Philo was one of the greatest engineers of the Hellenistic period, a pioneer in mechanics and the construction of automata. He was one alongside many illustrious scholars who worked in Alexandria, the most highly advanced spiritual center in the Western World at the time.
He constructed pneumatics, machines which functioned with the use of compressed air, levers, tools and hourglasses. In Alexandria, Philo invented the chain pump. This comprised a set of pots attached to a chain or belt that was moved by a rotating wheel.
Philo also described the force pump which was invented by the engineer Ctesibius of Alexandria. This pump is composed of two cylinders with pistons that were moved by means of connecting rods attached to opposite ends of a single lever.
In the field of mathematics, Philo formulated an alternative proof to the proposition of Euclid 1.8 and also devised an approximate solution to the problem of doubling the cube using the so-called Philo line.
Philon Byzantius (ca. 280 BC – ca. 220 BC) – Greek engineer and physicist
