The Romans Won a Battle but Killed a Genius

It may surprise you to know that the famous Greek mathematician, Archimedes, was technically Italian. He was born in Sicily and died there. However, in the 3rd century BC, the area where he lived was called Magna Graecia, and the city he lived in, Syracuse, was a Greek colony. He was ethnically and culturally Greek.

Among other things, Archimedes was an outstanding scientist who conceived many amazing inventions, including pulleys and the Archimedes' screw pump. He is considered to be not only the greatest of the ancient mathematicians but also one of the greatest of all times. His mathematical theories were hugely influential in the Renaissance.

As mentioned in earlier facts, Sicily was the front line of fighting between Carthage and Rome; and Syracuse, although part of neither empire, got drawn into these conflicts. …which were happening when Archimedes was an old man, his reputation as a genius already sealed.

The city of Syracuse was, for its time, huge and very well defended, particularly from the sea. The Romans began their siege in 214 BC when their fleet brought a floating siege tower and ships with pre-erected scaling ladders, which were repelled by the wall-mounted catapults and fire arrows hurled by the population. Archimedes, as a loyal citizen of Syracuse, was asked to put his great intellect towards helping with the defenses. To this end he invented a massive crane and claw that was mounted on the walls and could smash down onto the attacking Roman galleys, hurling them upside down.  Hundreds drowned because of this invention.

There is a later tale of Archimedes inventing a weapon composed of metal mirrors that angled the light to create a heat beam.  Seeing that modern science has failed to recreate this device, it is likely that the story is a myth, but it is a testament to his reputation that Archimedes is supposed to have created this magic weapon.

The siege of Syracuse dragged on for two years, and Roman casualties were high. This led to the people of the city becoming over-confident, and they let their guard down during a feast to the goddess Artemis. When the Romans discovered this, a small band of troops scaled the walls and let the army in.

As all hell broke loose, the Roman soldiers were ordered to find Archimedes and bring him to their general - alive. After all, this man was a genius who had created powerful war machines, just the sort of man the Romans needed to fight Carthage.

When a Roman soldier found Archimedes, he was deep in thought. The soldier demanded that Archimedes come with him, but he was totally absorbed in a thorny mathematical issue and ignored the soldier. The Legionnaire was so frustrated at being ignored by the old man that he stabbed him with his spear, killing one of the greatest minds that ever lived - in mid-thought.

The Romans may have gained Syracuse, but they lost Archimedes.