Archimedes’ claw
E620691
Archimedes’ claw was an ancient defensive war machine, attributed to the Greek mathematician Archimedes, designed to lift and capsize attacking ships during naval assaults on Syracuse.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ancient war machine
ⓘ
defensive weapon ⓘ siege defense device ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Archimedes’ war machines
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
defense of Syracuse ⓘ |
| attributedTo | Archimedes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| constructedFrom |
metal fittings
ⓘ
wood ⓘ |
| culture | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| describedBy |
Livy
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Polybius NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| describedIn | ancient historical accounts ⓘ |
| designedFor |
harbor defense
ⓘ
naval defense ⓘ |
| designedTo |
destabilize enemy vessels
ⓘ
grip hulls of ships ⓘ lift bow of ships out of water ⓘ |
| effect |
capsizing of ships
ⓘ
deterrence of close approach by enemy fleet ⓘ |
| field |
ancient military engineering
ⓘ
mechanics ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
Roman siege operations
ⓘ
conflict between Rome and Carthage ⓘ |
| historicalPeriod | 3rd century BC ⓘ |
| languageOfPrimarySources | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| locatedIn | Mediterranean Sea region NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| location |
Sicily
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Syracuse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mechanismType |
crane-like device
ⓘ
lever-based mechanism ⓘ |
| notableFor |
innovative use of mechanical advantage in warfare
ⓘ
psychological impact on attacking forces ⓘ |
| operatedFrom |
city walls of Syracuse
ⓘ
shore installations ⓘ |
| poweredBy | human power ⓘ |
| primaryFunction |
capsize attacking ships
ⓘ
defend harbor of Syracuse ⓘ lift attacking ships ⓘ |
| reconstructedAs | modern experimental replicas ⓘ |
| status |
known only from textual descriptions
ⓘ
lost technology ⓘ |
| targeted | Roman warships ⓘ |
| uncertainty |
exact design unknown
ⓘ
extent of historical use debated by scholars ⓘ |
| usedBy | Syracuse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedDuring |
Second Punic War
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Siege of Syracuse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.