Chapter 12, The War Machines of Archimedes Summary and Analysis

When King Hiero ruled Syracuse, life had both peace and prosperity, but war raged elsewhere. Rome and Carthage fought one another at this time; Carthage was a great city on the Mediterranean coast of Africa, with widespread colonies. It ruled the west of the Mediterranean and the Carthaginians were taking over Sicily. Yet Rome was growing more powerful as well, capturing the Greek city-states in Italy. Romans and Carthaginians agreed to trade within their own boundaries, but the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy proved impossible to divine. Hiero knew that they would one day fight over Syracuse, because of its proximity to the Strait. While the city was allied with Rome, Rome seemed overextended. Hiero and Archimedes often talked about this worry.

When Archimedes was old, he resisted Hiero's...