The Story of Archimedes, Bathtaker - Chapter 2

Archimedes sets sail from Sicily to Egypt

The Greek merchant ship Kyrenia was 47 footsteps long and 14 footsteps wide. Archimedes had time to memorise these numbers during the two-week voyage from Syracuse to Egypt. The dimensions of the boat were not all he learned. During his time aboard, Archimedes helped the three crew members to rig the square sail when the wind was up. He learned to haul and buckle the canvas during a storm. The crew spoke a dialect of Greek from Cyprus, quite different from the language of Syracuse. Archimedes’ conversations with the crew involved a lot of hand-gestures.

When Archimedes wasn’t busy with chores, the constant motion of the ship kept him from sleeping. He spent hours wobbling up and down the deck of the Kyrenia, stopping occasionally to heave his most recent meal into the water.

After one such bout of vomiting, on the sunny morning of his fifteenth day at sea, Archimedes clutched the starboard rail, and shakily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He wondered if it was possible to feel any worse.

As the thought crossed his mind, the boat jerked backwards, and he was sprawled on the deck. Waves continued to slap the bow loudly, rocking the vessel so that Archimedes couldn’t stand up.

Agda, the ship’s captain, danced over to Archimedes and extended a hand to help him. Agda was a short, grubby man with bandy legs and broad shoulders. He was grinning widely at Archimedes’ misfortune. Archimedes grasped his wrist tightly and was hauled to his feet.

‘Nile!’ Agda spoke in a deep voice. He snaked his hand through the air, then spread his fingers wide. ‘pshhh…’ he made the sound of running water, then smacked the wooden railing a few times with his open palm.

Archimedes nodded. They had reached the mouth of the Nile River. The huge river pushed tons of water into the Mediterranean Sea, creating turbulent currents for boats approaching Egypt.

‘Alexandria’ Agda spoke again in his strange accent, pointing to the horizon. Still shaking, Archimedes held up his hand to the sun, and followed Agda’s finger. Across the glittering blue water, a striking glint caught his eye for just a moment. In the very distance, he noticed the brown smudge of land.

The glint appeared again. He traced its origin to the top of a column of grey rock at the very edge of the brown smudge. Even when distorted by distance and sea air, it was clear that this was not a natural structure.

Archimedes felt a thrill of excitement in his stomach. His destination, the city of Alexandria, capital of Egypt, was close. The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the tallest building that had ever been built. In daytime, its great mirror guided ships to port by reflecting the light of the sun. At night, its huge bonfire could be seen for miles. He couldn’t wait to see it closer.

His excitement grew, as he thought of the other building in Alexandria he had come to see. The greatest library in the world, stocked with knowledge collected from across Europe, Africa and Asia.

A particularly large wave jolted the ship. Archimedes crouched, hugging the railing with both arms, and a spray of salty water whipped his face. Agda threw back his head, laughing.

Archimedes’ excitement evaporated, and was replaced with the familiar ache of nausea. Lighthouses and libraries seemed of little importance now. I would move the Earth, Archimedes thought to himself weakly, just to be on dry land again.