THE DEATH OF ARCHIMEDES: A REASSESSMENT

摘要

The conquest of Syracuse, which to begin with the Romans expected to lead to a speedy victory, soon turned into a long hard war thanks to Archimede's extraordinary military defence machines. During the war the scientist was killed - probably by mistake - by a Roman soldier who infringed Marcello's orders. The author analyses historical sources and outlines some discrepancies that give a totally different reading of the events, a reading more in agreement with Roman politics.