The heat ray archimedes quotes

Device purported to be used by Archimedes to burn Roman ships

Archimedes is purported to have invented a large scale solar furnace, sometimes described as a heat ray, and used it to burn attacking Roman ships during the Siege of Syracuse (c. 213–212 BC).

It does not appear in the surviving works of Archimedes and there is no contemporary evidence for it, leading to modern scholars doubting its existence. It was an established story about Archimedes by around 500 AD, when Anthemius described a reconstruction, and it has become the subject of speculation about its plausibility.

Historical accounts of the heat ray

The 2nd century AD author Lucian wrote that during the Siege of Syracuse, Archimedes destroyed enemy ships with fire. Around 500 AD, Anthemius of Tralles mentions burning-glasses as Archimedes' weapon.

The device was used to focus sunlight onto approaching ships, causing them to catch fire.^[1]

Modern attempts to recreate the h