ARCHYTAS (c. B.C.), of Tarentum, Greek philoso pher and scientist of the Pythagorean school, famous as the inti mate friend of Plato. He was seven times elected commander of the army. Under his leadership, Tarentum fought with un varying success against the Messapii, Lucania and even Syracuse. According to a tradition suggested by Horace (Odes, i. 28), he was drowned on a voyage across the Adriatic, and he was buried, we are told, at Matinum in Apulia. He is described as the eighth leader of the Pythagorean school, and was a pupil of Philolaus. He was the first to draw up a methodical treatment of mechanics with the aid of geometry, and to distinguish harmonic from arith metical and geometrical progressions. He evolved an ingenious solution of the duplication of the cube. The theory of proportion, and the study of acoustics and music were advanced by his inves tigations. He was said to be the inventor of a kind of flying machine (see Aulus Gellius Noct. Att., X. I2, g and article on AERONAUTICS). Fragments of his ethical and metaphysical writ ings are quoted by Stobaeus, Simplicius and others. Such of them as seem to be authentic are of small philosophical value, but Archytas must have been famous as a philosopher, as Aristotle wrote a special treatise (not extant) On the Philosophy of Archy tas. Some positive idea of his speculations may be derived from two of his observations : the one in which he notices that the parts of animals and plants are in general rounded in form, and the other dealing with the sense of hearing, which, in virtue of its limited receptivity, he compares with vessels which when filled can hold no more.