Britannica
Sources used in this answer
When did the Romans lay siege to Syracuse?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Archimedes
Archimedes, oil on canvas by Giuseppe Nogari, 18th century; in the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, Moscow. Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician and inventor.
The Romans laid siege to Syracuse from 214 to 212 BCE.1
This conflict occurred during the Second Punic War after the city's government rejected Rome and formed an alliance with Carthage. The Roman general Marcus Claudius Marcellus led the military campaign, which ultimately resulted in the city's capture and the death of the mathematician and inventor Archimedes, who had assisted in the city's defense.1