Eupalinos

Eupalinos of Megara was an ancient Greek engineer who built the Tunnel of Samos in the 6th century BC. The tunnel, presumably completed between 550 and 530 BC,^[1] is the second known tunnel in history which was excavated from both ends and the first with a methodical approach in doing so.^[2] Being also the longest tunnel of its time, the Tunnel of Eupalinos is regarded as a major feat of ancient engineering.

The Greek historian Herodot describes the tunnel briefly in his Histories (3.60) and calls Eupalinos of Megara its architect. Eupalinos is supposed to be the first hydraulic engineer in history whose name has been passed down.^[3] Apart from that, though, nothing more is known about him.

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 and Corinth. Eupalinos tunnel is the longest of three subsequent tunnels of the same width at this expressway.

Literature

Alfred Burns, “The Tunnel of Eupalinus and the Tunnel Problem of Hero of Alexandria,” Isis, Vol. 62, No. 2. (Summer, 1971), pp. 172-185
B. L. Van der Waerden, “Eupalinos and His Tunnel,” Isis, Vol. 59, No. 1. (Spring, 1968), pp. 82-83
Harry B. Evans, Review of Hermann Kienast, “Die Wasserleitung des Eupalinos auf Samos,” American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 103, No. 1. (Jan., 1999), pp. 149-150
Hermann J. Kienast: Die Wasserleitung des Eupalinos auf Samos, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Athen (German)
Hermann J Kienast: Die Wasserleitung des Eupalinos auf Samos (Samos XIX.), Rudolph Habelt, Bonn 1995. ISBN 3-7749-2713-8
June Goodfield, Stephen Toulmin, “How Was the Tunnel of Eupalinus Aligned?,” Isis, Vol. 56, No. 1. (Spring, 1965), pp. 46-55
Tom Apostel, “The Tunnel of Samos,” Engineering and Science, No.1 (2004), pp.30-40

External links

References

^ Harry B. Evans, Review of Hermann Kienast, p.150
^ The oldest known tunnel, at which two teams advanced simultaneously was Hezekiah's tunnel in Jerusalem, completed around 700 BC. However, numerous false starts in wrong directions, which took the tunnel 1,500 feet to cover a distance of 1,000 feet, indicate that the work was done without a methodical approach (Burns 173). Rather, the workers followed probably an underground watercourse (Apostel 33).
^ Tom Apostel, p.33

[1] Harry B. Evans, Review of Hermann Kienast, p.150

[2] The oldest known tunnel, at which two teams advanced simultaneously was Hezekiah's tunnel in Jerusalem, completed around 700 BC. However, numerous false starts in wrong directions, which took the tunnel 1,500 feet to cover a distance of 1,000 feet, indicate that the work was done without a methodical approach (Burns 173). Rather, the workers followed probably an underground watercourse (Apostel 33).

[3] Tom Apostel, p.33

[1]

[2]

[3]