Archimedes of Syracuse was an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist and 
engineer. Although little is known of his life, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists 
in classical antiquity. In addition to making discoveries in the fields of mathematics and geometry, he is 
credited with producing machines that were well ahead of their time. 

He laid the foundations of hydrostatics, and explained the principle of the lever, the device 
on which mechanics is based. His early advances in calculus included the first known 
summation of an infinite series with a method that is still used today. The historians of Ancient Rome 
showed a strong interest in Archimedes and wrote accounts of his life and works, while the relatively 
few copies of his treatises that survived through the Middle Ages were an influential source of ideas for 
scientists during the Renaissance.
