TRADITIONS 
17 
cellus during the 
he appearance of 
ivith this histori- 
of him are con- 
3 sack of the city 
i 75 years of age, 
B.c. He was the 
1 intimate terms 
s son Gelon. It 
spent some time 
, discovery of the 
pumping water. 1 
itandria with the 
[exandria that he 
for whom he had 
and a friend) and 
3 was in the habit 
heir publication; 
? Method, with an 
aterest, as well as 
Cattle-Problem. 
I say more of his 
ical achievements, 
d. His machines 
mans in the siege 
told) catapults so 
dceable at long or 
short range, machines for discharging showers of missiles 
through holes made in the walls, and others consisting of 
long movable poles projecting beyond the walls which either 
dropped heavy weights on the enemy’s ships, or grappled 
their prows by means of an iron hand or a beak like that of 
a crane, then lifted them into the air and let them fall again. 1 
Marcellus is said to have derided his own engineers with the 
words, ‘Shall we not make an end of fighting against this 
geometrical Briareus who uses our ships like cups to ladle 
water from the sea, drives off our sambuca ignominiously 
with cudgel-blows, and by the multitude of missiles that he 
hurls at us all at once outdoes the hundred-handed giants of 
mythology 1 ’; but all to no purpose, for the Romans were in 
such abject terror that, ‘if they did but see a piece of rope 
or wood projecting above the wall, they would cry “ there it 
is”, declaring that Archimedes was setting some engine in 
motion against them, and would turn their backs and run 
away ’. 2 These things, however, were merely the ‘ diversions 
of geometry at play ’, 3 and Archimedes himself attached no 
importance to them. According to Plutarch, 
‘ though these inventions had obtained for him the renown of 
more than human sagacity, he yet would not even deign to 
leave behind him any written work on such subjects, but, 
regarding as ignoble and sordid the business of mechanics and 
every sort of art which is directed to use and profit, he placed 
his whole ambition in those speculations the beauty and 
subtlety of which is untainted by any admixture of the com 
mon needs of life.’ 4 
(a) Astronomy. 
Archimedes did indeed write one mechanical book, On 
Sphere-making, which is lost; this described the construction W 
of a sphere to imitate the motions of the sun, moon and 
planets. 5 Cicero saw this contrivance and gives a description 
of it; he says that it represented the periods of the moon 
and the apparent motion of the sun with such accuracy that 
it would even (over a short period) show the eclipses of the 
sun and moon. 6 As Pappus speaks of ‘ those who understand 
1 Polybius, Hist. viii. 7, 8 ; Livy xxiv. 84 ; Plutarch, Marcellus, cc. 15-17. 
2 lb., c. 17. 3 lb., c. 14. 4 lb., c. 17. 
5 Carpus in Pappus, viii, p. 1026. 9; Proclus on Eucl. I, p. 41. 16. 
6 Cicero, De rep. i. 21, 22, Tusc. i. 68, De nat; dear. ii. 88. 
1523.2 Q