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