What device did Leonardo da Vinci sketch using a screw-shaped mechanism to raise water?

Leonardo da Vinci sketched an Archimedes’ screw, a screw-shaped device used to raise water.

The basic machine predates Leonardo by many centuries and is traditionally associated with Archimedes of Syracuse. A helical blade turns inside a cylinder or trough, carrying water upward from a lower level to a higher one.

Leonardo studied and drew screw-based lifting machines as part of his broader interest in hydraulics. His drawings helped document and develop mechanical applications, but he was not the original inventor of the Archimedes’ screw. This distinction is a common source of confusion when Leonardo’s engineering sketches are described as inventions.

Archimedes’ screws remain useful in modern water management, including drainage, irrigation, and wastewater treatment. Their operation is relatively simple: rotation pushes successive pockets of water along the helix.