[TheForge] Re: crackpottery

[Stephen Viola]

HI Mike,
I thought he managed the burning of the Roman fleet by taking a couple
of hundred soldiers with large, highly polished bronze shields. Then
by focussing them on individual ships the managed one by one to burn
the entire fleet. He also had the rest of his army on the beach the
slaughter any roman soldier strong enough to swim to shore with 20kg
of armour on. But that last part of the story is I suppose a little
too gorey. Not to mention the microwaved people on the galleys. :oP

Wombat

>
>     In Epitome ton Istorion, circa AD 12, John Zonaras wrote: "At
>     last in an incredible manner he [Archimedes] burned up the whole
>     Roman fleet. For by tilting a kind of mirror toward the sun he
>     concentrated the sun's beam upon it; and owing to the thickness
>     and smoothness of the mirror he ignited the air from this beam
>     and kindled a great flame, the whole of which he directed upon
>     the ships that lay at anchor in the path of the fire, until he
>     consumed them all."  [1]
>
>