The combustible mirror of Buffon: between the legend of Syracuse and the tradition of chemical analysis

Abstract

The contribution of a combustible mirror, designed and made by Archimedes, to the destruction of the Roman fleet of the General Marcelus during the siege of Syracuse (214-212 b. C.) has become the core of a legend that, halfway between magic and science, has survived up to our days. In the French science of the XVIII century, the interest in the legend was linked to the instrumental role played by combustible mirrors and lens at the scientifical laboratories during that historical period. Their use was particularly noteworthy in the chemo-analytical procedures with metals, and the Lavoisier's works on the volatilization of diamonds. The mirror that was composed by Buffon —one of the reconstructions of Archimede's model— is rooted in two traditions, one which flatly denies the plausibility of the legend of the Syracuse mirror, and another that considers combustible mirrors as tools offering an undeniable interest to science.