Syracuse's Burning Mirror

The reading claims that Syracuse people never manage to build a weapon called burning mirror and provides three reasons of support. However, the professor argues that the points made in the passages are not convincing and refutes each one of them.

First, the passage argues that Syracuse people were not technologically advanced to the extent to build something like burning mirror. On the other hand, the professor believes that Greeks knew the advantages of using parabola. As a result, they not necessarily used a large sheet of copper. They could have used dozens of small sheets of copper and put it together to arrange a wide sheet of it.

Second, the author explains that it takes too much time to burn a ship with a burning mirror, especially if it is moving. The lecture states that the Roman ships were not made of wood only. There is a sticky material called Citch, which could set on fire in seconds not as wood in ten minutes. In addition, once the boat is on fire, it would spread in the whole boat even if it is moving.
Third, the reading poses that the burning mirror was not necessary because Greeks had a similar device which is flaming arrows.
On the other hand, the professor, explains that Romans knew the flaming arrows and they had different tools to watch and expect the fire and to put it out. They can see mirror, but can’t see fire until the boat is already
burning.