Monday, 29 December 2025

4268) “Claw or Iron Hand” of Archimedes was used effectively during the Second Punic War in the defence of the Seaward Walls of Syracuse:

4268) Did You Know Series (126): “Claw or Iron Hand” of Archimedes was used effectively during the Second Punic War (214 BC) in the defence of the Seaward Walls of Syracuse:

A painting of the Claw of Archimedes by Giulio Parigi, taking the name "iron hand" literally, 1599-1600

Second Punic War:

The Claw of Archimedes (or the 'Snatcher', also known as the "Iron hand") was an ancient weapon devised by Archimedes to defend the seaward portion of Syracuse's city wall against amphibious assault.

Although its exact nature is unclear, the accounts of ancient historians describe it as a kind of crane equipped with a grappling hook that was able to lift an attacking quinquereme by the bow. 

By then releasing the claw the ship would fall onto the rocks or water below, inevitably capsizing. The claw could allegedly shake boats with such force that the crew would be thrown into the sea.

These machines featured prominently during the Second Punic War in 214 BC, when the Roman Republic attacked Syracuse with a fleet of 60 quinqueremes under Marcus Claudius Marcellus.

What is a Quinquereme?:

From the 4th century BC on, new types of oared warships appeared in the Mediterranean Sea, superseding the trireme and transforming naval warfare.

Ships became increasingly large and heavy, including some of the largest wooden ships hitherto constructed.

These developments were spearheaded in the Hellenistic Near East, but also to a large extent shared by the naval powers of the Western Mediterranean, specifically Carthage and the Roman Republic.

While the wealthy successor kingdoms in the East built huge warships ("polyremes"), Carthage and Rome, in the intense naval antagonism during the Punic Wars, relied mostly on medium-sized vessels.

Deployment of the “Iron Hand” by Archimedes in the defence of Syracuse during the II Punic War:

When the Roman fleet approached the city walls of Syracuse, under cover of darkness, the machines were deployed, sinking many ships and throwing the attack into confusion.

Historians such as Livy attributed heavy Roman losses to these machines, together with catapults also devised by Archimedes.

The plausibility of this invention was tested in 1999 in the BBC series Secrets of the Ancients and again in early 2005 in the Discovery Channel series "Superweapons of the Ancient World". 

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.

Within seven days they were able to test their creation, and they did succeed in tipping over a model of a Roman ship so that it would sink.






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Greek Mythology Coin Series:








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Other interesting posts on Greek Coinage and Commemorative Coins:


 2) Some ancient coins depicting Greek mythology & history 























Greek Mythology Coin Series:









Germania Mint issues:















Greek Mythology Coin Series:










Links to some more posts on the Chinese Lunar calendar/Zodiac signs on this Blog:







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