Archimedes: The Greatest Mathematician of the Ancient World
The man who discovered π (pi)
Some of humanity’s most influential thinkers come from the ancient world. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and many others all belong to this fascinating and vast era of history.
Archimedes is probably a name you’re familiar with given many regard him as the greatest mathematician of ancient times. Yet, the details of this man’s monumental achievements aren’t common knowledge.
Early Education
Little is known about Archimedes beyond his mathematical and scientific endeavours. But historians have managed to piece together parts of his life using ancient sources.
Archimedes was born in the third century BCE in Syracuse, a city on the island of Sicily with a reputation for architectural beauty and economic prosperity.
Like other Greek boys, Archimedes would have started his formal education at the age of eight. Reading, writing, mathematics, music, and geography would have been the core of his childhood education.
Though historians cannot offer a precise date, they are certain Archimedes travelled to Alexandria when he was a young man. The city was a centre of learning and is considered by many to be the greatest city of the ancient…
