fl. sixth century B.C.

Greek Architect and Engineer

In the sixth century B.C. Eupalinus designed and constructed a tunnel that brought water from a source outside the capital city of Samos down to its citizens. Deemed one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Eupalinion Tunnel passes from the top of a hill and goes under the earth more than 65 feet (19.8 m) to a water tank in the town. Amazingly, the water still flows the same way today.

Hardly any information survives about Eupalinus. According to the great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who also loved and studied ancient Greece, the Greeks "emphasized abstract thought and paid little attention to their own record as practical engineers." Thus, little remains about men like Eupalinus. What is known about Eupalinus is that he was an architect/engineer from Megara. However, his famous work took place on...