The Story of the Archimedes Manuscript

Spiegel Online ^ | 22 June 2007 | Matthias Schulz

[BGHater]

For 2,000 years, the document written by one of antiquity's greatest mathematicians was ill treated, torn apart and allowed to decay. Now, US historians have decoded the Archimedes book. But is it really new?

When the Romans advanced to Sicily in the Second Punic War and finally captured the proud city of Syracuse, one of their soldiers met an old man who, surrounded by the din of battle, was calmly drawing geometric figures in the sand. "Do not disturb my circles," the eccentric old man called out. The legionnaire killed him with his sword.

That, at least, is the legend.

The truth is a different story altogether. Placed in charge of King Hieron II's artillery equipment, Archimedes later played an important military role during the siege of Syracuse. He invented powerful catapults to defend his homeland, using cranes to hurl heavy boulders from the walls of the fortress at enemy ships. Mirrors were also used, it is said, to direct burning rays of sunlight at the Roman armada, setting the ships on fire. The Sicilians resisted the onslaught of the ambitious Roman republic for more than two years.

In short, had the legionnaire really speared the eccentric old man with his sword, he would have done the Romans a great service. In addition to being an oddball scholar, Archimedes was a skilled inventor of weapons.

[BJClinton]

Ping? His murder, notes British philosopher Paul Strathern, was "the Romans' only decisive contribution to mathematics."

I hadn't heard that before.

[bert]

.....Mirrors were also used, it is said, to direct burning rays of sunlight at the Roman armada, setting the ships on fire.....

Extensive testing of the concept by the Myth Busters using arrays of both both glass and polished bronze mirrors and it was pretty conclusive proved to be impossible. There was considerable focused heat bun not all consuming fire.

[Bender2]

Well, I read the article and the only truth I gleam from it is in the ending: In other words, everything on earth is crooked.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BGHater. There have been topics about this before, this qualifies as an update, plus GGG topics have slowed this summer.

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[kitchen]

Extensive testing of the concept by the Myth Busters...

Just curious, did the Myth Busters stock their ship with amphorae filled with ingredients to make Greek Fire?

[bert]

Re Greek fire....

I can’t remember perzactly but don’t think they used any accelerants.

They did however follow the text and built simulated boat hull sections. I don’t think they had any detailed plans of the mirror arrays but did build an array from many small polished bronze mirrors that actually gave good results. Smoke but not fire.

All things considered they attempted to follow the ancient text as closely as they could with several different interpretations of the mirror arrangement.

[kitchen]

Thanks, bert.

Seems to me that the flash point of Greek Fire components would be several hundred degrees lower than ship planking or even fabric sails. Some day the records of ships' stores will turn up and I think the question will be answered.

BTW, what was your conclusion about the ability of banded caterpillars to predict winter severity? Must be better than the Weather Channel - you could toss bones and come closer.

[bert]

Regarding the wooly worms, my preliminary conclusion is that there is no correlation between color variation and winter weather.

I still have to complete my research by raising fall catipillers through the winter and to allow adults to develop, mate and raise a new generation. There seems to be a possibility that the color variation might be a function of the growth stages of the caterpiller. This growth and color variation must be observed first hand.

Alas, I was able to collect none this fall. Maybe next year.

Unlike Jr Hi, an adult science project can drag out for years and years.

[eleni121]

I think Strathern means the “decisive contribution” remark sarcastically in that the Romans did not really advance mathematics after the death of the Greek Archimedes.

[BJClinton]

Erm, yes, I got that.

[Richard from IL]

Here’s a book on the subject:
http://www.amazon.com/Archimedes-Codex-Reviel-Netz/dp/0297645471/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-5456117-0190044?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183506068&sr=8-2

My brother is leading one of teams working on imaging the codex.

[eleni121]

I got that.

---

Good...you sounded a little vague that is why I thought I’d help.

[SunkenCiv]

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