By Den Ardinger 32° KCCH

Archimedes was born in Syracuse on the island of Sicily, then a city-state of Greece, about 287 BCE.  He was the son of Phidias, an astronomer, and his wife.  From an early age he had an interest in science and mathematics. He most likely received his early education in Syracuse, but  is believed to have received his advanced learning in Alexandria, Egypt, one of the most important educational centers in the ancient world.  It was here that he would meet other leading mathematicians and scholars.  These would have included the successors of Euclid, whose mathematics shaped the formation of Greek geometry. After being educated in Alexandria, he returned to Syracuse to continue his work.  With his family’s connections to the ruling class, he became a friend of King Hiero II.  This friendship helped direct him in applying the sciences to his inventions such as the screw pump and compound pulleys.  He also invented defensive war machines used for the protection of Syracuse. 

Archimedes was acknowledged as a polymath (a person skilled in many areas) and his expertise covered Geometry, Hydrostatics, Astronomy, Mechanics, and Mathematics.  In geometry, his learning extended to calculating the areas and volumes of curved shapes using a method resembling integral calculus, a method not invented until the time of Isaac Newton. One of his lost texts that was partially rediscovered in the 20th century, was The Method which details “infinitesimals” that prefigured calculus.  He also approximated the value of Pi, explained the principles of the lever and the center of gravity.

One of his most important discoveries was the Principle of Buoyancy.  This idea, now known as the Archimedes Principle, explained how a body immersed in fluid experienced an upward force equal to the weight of the displaced fluid.   It was this discovery that is tied to the immortal “Eureka!” (or “I have found it!”) story that records his insight when he stepped into a tub of water and realized the water level rose in proportion to how much of his body was submerged in water.  He was so excited about this idea that he ran home through the streets from the bath house naked.  He then applied this idea to prove that the gold crown for the statue to the gods that the king had ordered did not have the proper weight of gold in it and that the gold had been mixed with less dense silver by the craftsman.  

In astronomy he built a planetarium that accurately tracked the celestial bodies as they were known at that time.  His model is considered an early version of the famous Antikythera Mechanism found in a shipwreck in 1901 which tracked the observable skies overhead decades in advance and is considered an early version of an analog computer.

With this advanced understanding of mathematics and physics, which were far ahead of others in his day, it has led to speculation by writers that have studied the ancient mystery schools that Archimedes had become aware of Egyptian and Hellenistic secret knowledge while in Alexandria.

Archimedes was killed by a Roman soldier in 212 BCE during the siege of Syracuse in the Second Punic War.  Although the Roman General Marcellus had given specific orders to spare Archimedes when they took the city, he was slain either because he refused to follow directions or due to a misunderstanding.  Archimedes, considered one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, was 75 at the time.  His legacy lives on by his laying the foundations of calculus, physics, science, and engineering and by applying rigorous reasoning to technical problems.

Archimedes, more than a great mathematician ahead of his time, a thinker.