born с 290–280 BC, Syracuse, Sicily
died 212/211 BC, Syracuse
Legendary Greek inventor and mathematician.
His principal discoveries were the Archimedes screw, an ingenious device for raising water, and the hydrostatic principle, or Archimedes' principle . His main interests were optics, mechanics, pure mathematics, and astronomy. Archimedes' mathematical proofs show both boldly original thought and a rigour meeting the highest standards of contemporary geometry. His approximation of π was not improved on until after the Middle Ages, and translations of his works were important influences on 9th-century Arab and 16th-and 17th-century European mathematicians. In his native city, Syracuse, he was known as a genius at devising siege and countersiege weapons. He was killed by a Roman soldier during the storming of the city.