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Eupalinos ( grc, Εὐπαλῖνος) or Eupalinus of
Dan Hughes: The Tunnel of Eupalinos
The Eupalinian aqueduct by the Greek Ministry of Culture
__NOTOC__ {{authority control 6th-century BC Greek people Ancient Greek architects Ancient Greek engineers Ancient Megarians Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown
Eupalinos ( grc, Εὐπαλῖνος) or Eupalinus of Megara
Megara (; el, Μέγαρα, ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being take ...
was an ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...
who built the Tunnel of Eupalinos on Samos Island
Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separa ...
in the 6th century BC.
The tunnel, presumably completed between 550 and 530 BC, is the second known tunnel in history which was excavated from both ends and the first with a methodical approach in doing so. Being also the longest tunnel of its time, the Tunnel of Eupalinos is regarded as a major feat of ancient engineering. It was constructed for the tyrant Polycrates of Samos
Polycrates (; grc-gre, Πολυκράτης), son of Aeaces, was the tyrant of Samos from the 540s BC to 522 BC. He had a reputation as both a fierce warrior and an enlightened tyrant.
Sources
The main source for Polycrates' life and activi ...
, and was a remarkable long. It brought water to the city, passing through limestone at the base of a hill; this tunnel still exists.
The Greek historian Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria (Italy). He is known fo ...
describes the tunnel briefly in his ''Histories
Histories or, in Latin, Historiae may refer to:
* the plural of history
* ''Histories'' (Herodotus), by Herodotus
* ''The Histories'', by Timaeus
* ''The Histories'' (Polybius), by Polybius
* ''Histories'' by Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust), ...
'' (3.60) and calls Eupalinos of Megara its architect:
Eupalinos is considered the first hydraulic engineer in history whose name has been passed down. Apart from that, though, nothing more is known about him.Tom Apostol, p.33
A large road tunnel, named after Eupalinos has been recently built under the Geraneia mountains in Corinthia, to facilitate the new expressway connection between Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...
and Corinth
Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part ...
. Eupalinos tunnel is the longest of three subsequent tunnels of the same width at this expressway.
See also
* Ancient Greek units of measurementReferences
Further reading
* * * * * * * * * * * *External links
Dan Hughes: The Tunnel of Eupalinos
The Eupalinian aqueduct by the Greek Ministry of Culture
__NOTOC__ {{authority control 6th-century BC Greek people Ancient Greek architects Ancient Greek engineers Ancient Megarians Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown