Archimedes Accomplishments

Archimedes was born in syracuse in 187 BC. he was the son on the astronomer and mathematician Phidias. Not a lot is known of Archimedes early life or family. Some people think that archimedes was related to hiero II, the king of syracuse. In the third century BC Syracuse was a large hub for trade and communication. When in Syracuse as a kid Archimedes became curious and adept. Archimedes learned a lot from his teachers in Syracuse but soon he found there was more knowledge to be found in Egipt. So in 331 BC he traveled to Alexandria, a place of knowledge and scholarship.
King Hiero had commissioned a new royal crown for which he provided solid gold to the goldsmith. When the crown arrived, King Hiero was suspicious that the goldsmith only used some of the gold, kept the rest for himself and added silver to make the crown the correct weight. Archimedes was asked to determine whether or not the crown was pure gold without harming it in the process. Archimedes was perplexed but found inspiration while taking a bath. He noticed that the full bath overflowed when he lowered himself into it, and suddenly realized that he could measure the crown's volume by the amount of water it displaced. He knew that since he could measure the crown's volume, all he had to do was discover its weight in order to calculate its density and hence its

purity. Archimedes was so exuberant about his discovery that he ran down the streets of Syracuse naked shouting, “Eureka!” which meant “I've found it!” in Greek.
Sicily was a hotspot for both geological and political events. The volcanic Mount Etna loomed threateningly over the island, while on all sides the titanic Punic Wars raged between Rome and Carthage. Situated strategically between the two great powers, Sicily naturally became an object of contention. Self preservation demanded that the kings of Syracuse
negotiate with the great powers, and as a result the small city-state often found itself allied with one against the other. Such was the case in 214 BC, when pro-Carthaginian factions within the city chose to side with Carthage against Rome. Shortly thereafter, legions of the Roman army sailed to Syracuse and laid siege to the city walls. King Hiero II had anticipated such an eventuality. Before his death in 216 BC, Hiero set Archimedes to work, strengthening the walls of Syracuse and modifying its great stronghold, the Euryalos fortress. Archimedes also constructed war machines to defend Syracuse.
When the Romans arrived, Archimedes was prepared.

The historian Polybius recorded that Archimedes now made such extensive preparations, both within the city and also to guard against an attack from the sea, and that every move of the enemy could be retaliated against instantly by a counter move: ”huge beams were suddenly projected at the [Roman] ships from the walls, which sank some of them with great weights plunging down from on high; others were seized at the prow by iron claws….drawn straight up into the air, and then plunged stern foremost into the depths…. with great destruction of the fighting men on board, who perished in the

wrecks”.
For two years the genius of Archimedes repelled the Romans, enabling the city to survive the lengthy siege. Nevertheless, in 212 BC the forces of Marcellus prevailed and took the city. Marcellus had great respect for Archimedes, and immediately dispatched soldiers to retrieve his foe. Apparently, the great mathematician was unaware that his enemy had stormed the city, so deeply were his attentions focused on a mathematical problem. When a soldier demanded Archimedes come with him to the quarters of Marcellus he simply refused, and continued his ruminations. The enraged soldier flew upon Archimedes, striking the 75 year-old eccentric dead. Marcellus was very distressed upon hearing the news of Archimedes' death, and ordered that he be buried with honors. Archimedes' tombstone was, as he had wished, engraved with an image of a sphere within a cylinder.