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HISTORICAL DATA In the 6th Century BC Samos was ruled by the famous Tyrant Polycrates . During his reign, two working groups under the direction of the engineer Eupalinos from Megara dug a tunnel through Mount Kastro to build an Aqueduct to supply Pythagoreion (the ancient capital of Samos) with fresh water, as this was of utmost defensive importance (as it ran underground it was not easily found by an enemy who could otherwise cut off the water supply). The Eupalinian aqueduct was used for a thousand years as proved from archaeological findings. It was re-discovered in 1882-4 and today it is open to visitors. The Eupalinian aqueduct was probably one of the biggest ancient engineering feats ever made! THE TEXT OF HERODOTUS The Eupalinian aqueduct or ditch, is quoted by Herodotus without whom it would not have been discovered in 1882-4. :and about the Samians I have spoken at greater length, because they have three works which are greater than any others that have been made by Hellenes: first a passage beginning from below and open at both ends, dug through a mountain not less than a hundred and fifty fathoms in height; the length of the passage is seven furlongs and the height and breadth each eight feet, and throughout the whole of it another passage has been dug twenty cubits in depth and three feet in breadth, through which the water is conducted and comes by the pipes to the city, brought from an abundant spring: and the designer of this work was a Megarian, Eupalinos the son of Naustrophos. This is one of the three;... TECHNIQUE EMPLOYED FROM EUPALINOS The method Eupalinos employed to make the two groups meet in the middle of the mountain, is documented by Hermann J. Kienast and other researchers. With a length of 1,036 metres, the Eupalinian subterranean aqueduct is famous today as one of the masterpieces of ancient engineering. Eupalinos was aware that mistakes in measurement could make him miss the meeting point of the two teams, either horizontally or vertically. He therefore employed the following techniques: In the horizontal sense: Since two parallel lines never meet, Eupalinos recognized that a mistake of more than 2 metres horizontally (approximate cross section was 1,8 by 1,8m), would make him miss the meeting point. Having calculated the expected position of the meeting point, he changed the direction of both tunnels, as shown in the picture (one to the left and the other to the right), so that a crossing point would be guaranteed, even if the tunnels were previously parallel and far away. In the vertical sense: Similarly, there was a possibility of deviations in the vertical sense, even though his measurements were quite accurate. Kienast reports a vertical difference in the opening of the tunnels of only 4 cm! Eupalinos though, could not take a chance. He increased the possibilities of the two tunnels meeting each other, by increasing the height of both tunnels. In the north tunnel he kept the floor horizontal and increased the height of the roof, while in the south tunnel, he kept the roof horizontal and increased the height by changing the level of the floor. His precautions in the vertical sense proved unnecessary, since measurements show that there was practically no mistake. REFERENCES
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