214 BC

Events in 214 BC 3

• 214 BC – 212 BC Archimedes' war machines defend Syracuse The Claw, giant catapults and possibly burning mirrors During the siege, Archimedes deployed a series of devastating mechanical devices. His long-range and short-range catapults rained stones and arrows on Roman troops at any distance. The Claw of Archimedes — a crane-like arm with a grappling hook, extended over the city walls — could seize Roman ships, lift them from the water, and capsize or smash them against the rocks. The Roman soldiers became so terrified that if they saw any rope or timber appearing over the walls, they would flee. Ancient sources also mention burning mirrors that focused sunlight onto Roman ships, though modern experiments have produced mixed results. Plutarch wrote that Marcellus retreated and "began to feel that he was fighting against the gods."
• 214 BC – 129 BC Carneades The Orator Critiqued all previous philosophical dogmas; taught that we should rely on "probability" rather than certainty.
• 214 BC Siege of Syracuse begins Rome attacks — Archimedes defends In 214 BC, the Roman general Marcus Claudius Marcellus besieged Syracuse by sea and land with a fleet of 60 quinqueremes and a large land army. King Hiero II had commissioned Archimedes to prepare the city's defences in anticipation. What followed was one of the most remarkable episodes in military history: a single man's engineering genius held the Roman army at bay for nearly three years.