Harvesting the Elements – Part 2: Focused Fire: Re-examining the Reality of Archimedes’ Solar Weapon
Harvesting the Elements: Pre-Industrial Energy & Extraction 1 Harvesting the Elements – Part 1: The Deep Earth Blueprint: Chinese Gas Extraction and the 1,000m Well 2 Harvesting the Elements – Part 2: Focused Fire: Re-examining the Reality of Archimedes’ Solar Weapon 3 Harvesting the Elements – Part 3: The Automated Current: How Water and Tide Mills Revolutionized Labor 4 Harvesting the Elements – Part 4: The Untapped Revolution: Heron’s Aeolipile and the First Steam Turbine ← Series Home The Sun’s Energy in the Siege of Syracuse The defense of the Greek city of Syracuse against the invading Roman fleet in 212 BCE is marked by tales of engineering genius, none more captivating than the alleged deployment of Archimedes’ Heat Ray. Historical accounts describe soldiers raising large, highly polished bronze shields or mirrors, angling them precisely to capture and focus the Mediterranean sun onto the distant wooden hulls of the Roman warships,. The concentration of light purportedly created a single, intense point of heat, causing smoke to curl and flames to erupt across the tar-coated vessels, effectively setting the invasion force ablaze using nothing more than concentrated solar power,. ...
