It seems that the story of how Archimedes destroyed the ancient Roman squadron that approached Syracuse with the help of a system of mirrors is another myth about the great mathematics and mechanics.
The story goes: in 121 BC. e. the Romans laid siege to the Greek city of Syracuse from land and sea. It was decided to direct the defense of the city to Archimedes, who specially for this purpose invented the latest means of fighting the enemy for those times. According to the testimony of Titus Livius, Eutropius, Varro and other historiographers of Ancient Rome, Archimedes developed a system of mirrors, which allowed the entire Roman fleet to be burned from a fairly large distance. Is this possible, especially in those ancient times?
Let's omit the history of the 2nd Punic War, when Rome and Carthage fought for life and death. Let's start right away with Syracuse. The Roman Senate directs one of the Republic's most brutal and unyielding warlords to besiege a city of key importance. He decides to attack Syracuse from the sea, taking into account the low defensive walls that extend to the very edge, which made it possible to use the tactics favored by the Romans: approaching close to the enemy's ship, take it on board. Board an entire city? Why not?
In Syracuse, there were enough supporters of Carthage, and therefore the new owners of the city - the henchmen of Hannibal Hippocrates and Epidix - are trying to convince the inhabitants that only enslavement can be expected from Rome. Respected citizen Archimedes helped them a lot in this. This elder, a person close in spirit to Greek culture, who organically does not accept the cruelty and unscrupulousness of the Romans, who seek to establish their dominance over the Mediterranean at any cost, agrees to take over the leadership of the construction of fortifications. The city is supported by Archimedes, and he, not only a brilliant mathematician, but also a brilliant mechanic, immediately begins to develop his technical means, and to this day amazing scientists.
And now the triremes of the Roman Republic come up to Arcadina, the fortress wall that protects Syracuse from the sea. It is probably necessary to explain what these ships are. The Trireme was a fast ship, but with considerable shortcomings, primarily due to low windage and insufficient maneuverability. It got its name due to the fact that for each oar, which the triremes were equipped with, there were three rowers - that's where the speed comes from. And then one fine morning the Romans launched an attack.
But suddenly, when the Roman fleet was no more than three hundred meters from the coast, the end of the world began: the trireme sails began to flash one after another for no apparent reason, unbearably dazzling rays fell on the soldiers of Claudius Marcellus petrified with horror. The attackers turned to panicky flight, and from the walls of the fortifications Archimedes calmly watched the results of his work.
A few years ago, a group of Italian scientists who questioned the story of the sun-set sail set on such an experiment. 450 flat mirrors, each with an average size of 445 square centimeters (that is, with a total area of about 20 square meters), were directed towards the sail that crowned the model of an antique trireme several meters long. Since each of the mirrors could raise the temperature of the sail by 1.5 degrees using reflected radiation, it actually did ignite in the end. The number of mirrors multiplied by the increase in temperature they cause results in 675 degrees Celsius.
This experience showed that there is no doubt about the effectiveness of Archimedes' "incendiary" mirrors. But this is only at first glance. And if you think about it: could such a device set fire to a real big trireme? At the same time, let's take into account: firstly, the masses of cold air between the device and the ship, which is also at a considerable distance, would prevent it from catching fire. Secondly, the experiment was carried out on the ground, the distance did not exceed 50 meters, but the scientists had to wait several minutes for the fire to occur, and the story of the destruction of the fleet says that they flashed instantly. And was it possible 200 years BC? with the then primitive technique to orient 450 mirrors in one direction? Could the mirrors created at that time even reflect sunlight without scattering it? Antique mirrors found during excavationsso imperfect that it is difficult to believe that they were able to convey any exact reflection.
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Italian researchers are convinced that they actually existed, but they seemed rather than really were a formidable weapon. Since it is excluded that in the time of Archimedes a device similar to the one that was constructed in our time could have been created; since it is excluded that Archimedes could have a concept of the interaction of matter and energy at the level of modern quantum mechanics; Since no historical source can be trusted in this case, one thing remains to be assumed: although the attackers themselves believed that the fire was caused by the sun's rays, in fact they became victims of optical deception.
The mirrors of Archimedes really threw a blinding light on the triremes, and indeed the sail of the ship immediately flashed. But the question is: was it this light that caused the fire? Or did the sails catch fire because at the same moment they were struck by arrows with burning tips or other incendiary shells fired by the Greeks?
It may be objected here: if the fire on the triremes arose from a piece of burning resin or from an incendiary arrow, then what does the mirror have to do with it? This means that these giant bronze discs with a diameter of 2-3 meters, which blinded the enemy with reflected sunlight, served a different, precisely defined purpose: they served as a guidance tool, an optical sight.
To set fire to the ships of Claudius Marcellus, Archimedes needed to know three things: the range of the arrow, the distance to the trireme, and the maximum distance at which the human eye is able to distinguish the disc of light thrown by the mirror onto the sail of the trireme. The range of the arrow's flight is not difficult to establish experimentally, the distance to the trireme Archimedes was able to determine mathematically, as for the third element, it was probably also determined experimentally. Most likely, Archimedes tested his invention in the city, directing mirrors at various objects at a considerable distance. But how to put the invention into practice?
Apparently, Archimedes designed a throwing apparatus with a double sight, designed so that the shooter could lower the bowstring when the sun disk, reflected by the mirror onto the sail of the trireme, is in line with the sighting device. As a matter of fact, the invention is nothing more than the principle of the camera. The barrel of a crossbow or other throwing device, combined with the solar "bunny,", while maintaining the required distance, sent an arrow exactly along this beam. Shooting from the apparatus of Archimedes, it was impossible to miss, its action was limited only by the range of the arrow. It is quite possible that the apparatus was equipped with a goniometric scale (already known at the time of Archimedes) for reorienting the reflecting mirror depending on the height of the sun above the horizon.
What was happening at this time on the ships of Claudius Marcellus? In the first instant, the crew, blinded by the glitter of giant bronze mirrors, did not notice anything, and after a few seconds the sailors saw that their sails were on fire. Since they did not know what properties "Greek fire" (an incendiary mixture of resin, sulfur and saltpeter) possesses, how weightless it is and how great its igniting power, they inevitably had to think that fires originate precisely from the action of "solar mirrors". From here, in the opinion of Italian scientists, the legend, so widespread and so long existed, arose, according to which Archimedes invented special, concave mirrors. Archimedes died, and with him the secret of his invention: the Romans, who after a while occupied the city, destroyed literally everything there and killed almost all the inhabitants, including Archimedes.
From the book: “XX century. Chronicle of the inexplicable. Opening after opening Nikolay Nepomniachtchi