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Glite Dictionary
🏺 Greek city attack 🛡️ Roman city attack
Siege of Syracuse

Siege of Syracuse

9.9
A Roman siege from 214 to 212 BC that captures the city and kills Archimedes
  • noun
translation icon : Sitio de Siracusa
  • The Siege of Syracuse is remembered for the ingenious defenses designed by Archimedes.

Examples

  • During the Siege of Syracuse, Roman forces blockaded the city for two years.

  • Many historians study the Siege of Syracuse to understand ancient military technology.

  • The Siege of Syracuse lasted for two years.

  • What were the main causes of the Siege of Syracuse?

  • During the Siege of Syracuse, Roman forces blockaded the city for two years.

  • The Siege of Syracuse is remembered for the ingenious defenses designed by Archimedes.

  • Many historians study the Siege of Syracuse to understand ancient military technology.

Surface Forms

Siege of Syracuse singular
Sieges of Syracuse plural

Morphology

siege + of + Syracuse

The phrase is a straightforward composition of 'siege' (a prolonged military encirclement) + 'of' + the place name 'Syracuse', so a learner who knows the constituents will understand it denotes a siege at Syracuse. Specific historical details (dates, outcome, Archimedes) are not predictable from the words, but the core event meaning is directly derivable and cross-linguistically transparent.

Etymology

Siege of Syracuse refers to the Roman attack on the city in 214–212 BC, when Roman forces surrounded Syracuse, captured it, and Archimedes was killed. Think of clever machines and a sea blockade that tried to keep people out but could not stop the city from falling; that picture is why the name remembers this long siege and the loss of Archimedes.