ALAN HIRSHFELD begins his book about Archimedes with the famous tale of the Greek mathematician running naked and wet through the streets of Syracuse, shouting “Eureka!” in the ecstasy of intellectual discovery. That’s a shame – it almost certainly never happened. But he does an otherwise admirable job of cutting through the centuries of hype surrounding this ancient genius.
Against the vivid backdrop of a city under Roman siege, we’re told what little is known of the life of Archimedes, and of the futuristic war machines he invented at his king’s behest, which for years kept the invaders at bay. Hirshfeld…
