Do Not Disturb My Circles

According to Roman historian Valerius Maximus, these were the last words of Archimedes before a Roman soldier killed him during the sack of Syracuse in 212 BC. He was reportedly absorbed in a geometric diagram drawn in sand when the soldier approached, and he asked not to have his work disturbed. The account appears in Valerius Maximus's Facta et Dicta Memorabilia and is considered legendary — no contemporary source confirms it.