The anchor is launched, the lever is angled the pulley system is failing and the tower support has cracked. The beam is pulled into final position, pivoting on the rocker a steel pin is hammered through to secure it. Da Silva and Austen fit the lever with an anchor chain, readying the beam to be lifted into final position. Plutarch described their fear of The Claw, triggering a prolonged siege. Rome sent General Marcellu to invade Syracuse the troops were bombarded by weapons designed by Archimedes. Repelling Enemies and Replica Preparation (05:49) She and Austen prepare to lift the beam onto the tower laborers gently hoist it into the landing, lining it exactly with the guiderails. Project Advancements (04:39)ĭa Silva's replica designs use Archimedes' Law of the Lever. Da Silva has prepared the cradle for the modified rocker she fits the components. Syracuse was well defended against Roman invasion a massive fortress housed a honeycomb of tunnels. Protected City and Replica Progress (04:07) Her team pulls the beam into hoisting position with ropes and rollers. Project Adjustments (02:45)ĭa Silva has reengineered her replica designs, and believes it will function. Syracuse was caught in a struggle between neighboring powers, switching alliances to Carthage, and encouraging Roman invasion. Rome wanted to control Sicily, a Greek island during 213 BC, and strategically located in the Mediterranean. The boat procured for the replica to sink is more than five tons heavier than da Silva anticipated the rocker is constructed of weaker wood than her design required. Inventor and Project Setbacks (04:02)Īrchimedes discovered the Law of Buoyancy he designed The Claw to defend Syracuse from Roman invasion. Rope and pulley expert Brian Austen helps her rig a system intended to haul a massive beam to the top of a tower. Structural Engineer Jo da Silva attempts recreation of The Claw. The historic Roman battle was fought in Syracuse, inventor Archimedes' home. How the weapon was built, and operated is unknown. You can find scale models of the claw here.Introduction: The Claw (00:47) FREE PREVIEWĭuring a battle in 213 BC, 100 Roman warships were destroyed by a Sicilian mechanism lifting them out of the water, and sinking them. Within seven days they were able to test their creation and succeed in tipping over a model Roman ship The producers of Superweapons brought together a group of engineers tasked with conceiving and implementing a design that was realistic, given what is known about Archimedes. The plausibility of this invention was tested in 1999 in the BBC series Secrets of the Ancients and again in 2004 in the Discovery Channel series Superweapons of the Ancient World. Historians such as Livy attributed heavy Roman losses to these machines, together with catapults also devised by Archimedes. When the Roman fleet approached the city walls under cover of darkness, the machines were deployed, sinking many ships and throwing the attack into confusion. These machines featured prominently during the Second Punic War in 214 BC, when the Roman Republic attacked Syracuse with a fleet of sixty quinqueremes under Marcus Claudius Marcellus. It was dropped onto enemy ships, which would then swing itself and destroy the ship. Painting by Giulio Parigi (1600) BackgroundĪlthough its exact nature is unclear, the accounts of ancient historians describe it as a sort of crane equipped with a grappling hook that was able to lift an attacking ship partly out of the water, then either cause the ship to capsize or suddenly drop it.
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