The Greek mathematician who helped hold off the Romans during the Siege of Syracuse in 212 BC was Archimedes.
Archimedes was a mathematician, engineer, inventor, and astronomer from Syracuse, a powerful Greek city on Sicily. During Rome’s siege in the Second Punic War, he designed defensive machines that exploited geometry, leverage, and mechanical advantage. These reportedly included powerful catapults, cranes, and the famous “Claw of Archimedes,” which could seize and lift attacking ships.
The siege lasted from 213 to 212 BC. Roman commanders Marcus Claudius Marcellus and Appius Claudius Pulcher struggled to capture the heavily fortified city because its defenses could strike both land and naval assaults. Syracuse eventually fell after Roman troops entered during a festival, rather than by defeating every defensive machine directly.
Archimedes was killed during the city’s capture. Ancient accounts say Marcellus had ordered that he be spared, but a Roman soldier killed him after finding him absorbed in a mathematical problem. The popular story that he shouted “Do not disturb my circles” may be legendary, but his role in Syracuse’s defense is well established.