Biography
Archimedes was born in the city of Syracuse on the island of Sicily in 287 B.C. His father was an astronomer and mathematician named Phidias. That is basically all that is known about his early life, and his family. In the third century BC, Syracuse had a lot of commerce, art and science. As a youth in Syracuse, Archimedes developed his natural curiosity and knack for problem solving. Once he had learned as much as he could from his teachers, Archimedes traveled to Alexandria, Egypt in order to study. By Archimedes' time, Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, had earned a reputation for great learning and scholarship. After he finished with his studies in Alexandria he returned to Syracuse and pursued a life of thought and invention.
For two whole years Archimedes' genius repelled the Romans, letting the city survive a lengthy siege. Although, in 212 BC the army of Marcellus prevailed and captured the city. Marcellus had great respect for Archimedes, and immediately dispatched soldiers to retrieve his foe. Apparently, Archimedes was completely unaware that his city had been stormed, he was deeply focused on a mathematical problem. When a soldier demanded Archimedes accompany him to the quarters of Marcellus he simply refused, and continued his ruminations. The enraged soldier flew upon Archimedes, striking the 75 year-old eccentric dead. Marcellus was greatly distressed upon hearing the news of Archimedes' death and ordered that he be buried with honour. Archimedes' tombstone was, as he had wished, engraved with an image of a sphere within a cylinder, after one of his geometrical treatises.
For two whole years Archimedes' genius repelled the Romans, letting the city survive a lengthy siege. Although, in 212 BC the army of Marcellus prevailed and captured the city. Marcellus had great respect for Archimedes, and immediately dispatched soldiers to retrieve his foe. Apparently, Archimedes was completely unaware that his city had been stormed, he was deeply focused on a mathematical problem. When a soldier demanded Archimedes accompany him to the quarters of Marcellus he simply refused, and continued his ruminations. The enraged soldier flew upon Archimedes, striking the 75 year-old eccentric dead. Marcellus was greatly distressed upon hearing the news of Archimedes' death and ordered that he be buried with honour. Archimedes' tombstone was, as he had wished, engraved with an image of a sphere within a cylinder, after one of his geometrical treatises.