We will see that we have good reasons not to place too much faith in his testimony. It is possible that Tzetzes had reliable sources at his disposal that we do not know about, but it might also be that he (or his source) wished only to quantify the fact, mentioned by several authors, that he died when he was old. It is thought that he was born in 287 b.c.-in fact, this year we celebrate the twenty-third centenary of his birth-but the only author who gives this date is the Byzantine John Tzetzes, of the twelfth century, according to whom Archimedes died at the age of 75. There is no doubt that Archimedes was a Syracusan, and that he died during the Roman sack of Syracuse in 212 b.c. There are few biographical facts that are absolutely certain.
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