Ctesibius or Ktesibios, known as Ctesibius of Alexandria

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Ctesibius or Ktesibios, known as Ctesibius of Alexandria

Ctesibius or Ktesibios, known as Ctesibius of Alexandria , Greek physicist and inventor who flourished c.270 B.C. He was celebrated as an inventor of mechanical devices which performed by air or water pressure. He is the reputed inventor of the hydraulis, the organ of antiquity which comprised a keyboard device, pipes, and a wind mechanism activated by water to regulate the air pressure.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire