The Claw of Archimedes and Other Weapons Essay Example

the bottom, or else they were spun round by meaner of windlasses situated inside the city and dashed against the steep cliffs and rocks which Jutted out under the walls, with great loss of life to the crews.

Often there would be seen the terrifying spectacle of a ship being lifted clean out of the water into the air and whirled about as it hung there, until every man had been hake out of the hull and thrown in different direction, after which it would be dashed down empty upon the walls. " (Plutarch, Greek historian, biologist and essayist) Other Weapons Archimedes invented. In 21 5 BCC, the Roman Ana and army attacked Syracuse and, to help the hard- pressed city folk, Archimedes designed a number of war machines to fight back.

Some of these titanic machines seem to have been stone throwers or large crossbows, but the ancient historians tell of other inventions. These include the notorious Archimedes Claw which we Just mentioned. His other alleged idea was sing mirrors or polished shields to focus sunlight into a point and set fire to wooden ships, an invention commonly referred to as the Archimedes Death Ray.

Catapults Making use of his vast mathematical knowledge, Archimedes designed a catapult system to launch rocks, timbers, and other heavy objects over the great distance between the city walls and moored enemy ships. The most basic form of catapult utilizes a winched-down bucket into which the projectile is placed. When the bucket is released, the built-up pressure results in the launching of the projectile over great distances.

The Romans were so impressed by this invention that, following the

siege of Syracuse, they took one of Archimedes' catapults back with them to replicate for their own use. Death Ray Also referred to as the burning mirror, Archimedes' death ray utilized concentrated rays of the sun to set Roman ships on fire. Archimedes arranged a series of mirrors reflecting sunlight into one concentrated stream which, in time, was said to have set fire to the Roman sails and masts. A great deal of controversy surrounds this Archimedes war machine and it is uncertain whether it actually worked.