Archimedes

Archimedes

Archimedes is one of the greatest Greeks in history, considering his contributions in different aspects of mathematics and science. He was a geometer, mathematician, an astronomer and an inventor.

Archimedes was born in the year 287 B.C.E., in the city of Syracuse on Sicily, an island near the toe of Italy. Syracuse then was a Greek city state and colony even though it was quite far from mainland Greece. It was due to the fact that Greece that time has reached the eastern borders of the Mediterranean region.

Some ancient historians say that Archimedes was from humble origins. But most have taken into account that he was a member of a rich family of aristocrats, or Noble (according to Plutarch), and may be related to the king of Syracuse, King Hieron II, a tyrant. It was also said to be that Archimedes was the son of an astronomer and mathematician named Phidias. An account of Plutarch also states that Archimedes had "somebody in the household" was his wife. But not much is known of her due to the fact that women in ancient Greece lived a secluded life. Not much also is known about the early life of Archimedes.

It was the "Golden Age" of Greece. Athens and Syracuse were prosperous and had a good economy due to trade from other Mediterranean regions. Prosperity that time meant more leisure time, and leisure time meant more time for thought and argument. This meant that there were new ideas in Greek schools and universities. It was also in this time democracy began in Athens. At this time too, the Greeks became the first people and civilization to think logically about their natural world, that natural events were not done by their Gods and it was also in this time they began to search for reasons of things around them. Ideas of such started science in Greece.

Archimedes was obsessed with Geometry. He was always curious and was similar to Plato who sought to apply the results of science to practical uses. According to Plutarch, a Greek historian who accounted most of the life of Archimedes said that he was "Ð'...such a great mind and that he was profoundly learned having kept with him the treasures and secrets of geometrical inventions." He also mentioned that his books on making war-like engines made him famous and glorious not on his knowledge but of his "Divine Wisdom." He also mentioned that his intelligence was a