What Leonardo da Vinci machine used screw mechanisms to lift water from one level to another?

Leonardo da Vinci studied and designed versions of Archimedes’ screw for lifting water between levels.

An Archimedes’ screw is a helical surface enclosed in a tube or wrapped around a central shaft. When the screw turns, pockets of water move upward along the spiral. Leonardo’s drawings show his continuing interest in water-lifting machinery and in the geometry of screw mechanisms.

The basic machine was not Leonardo’s original invention. It is traditionally associated with Archimedes of Syracuse, who lived in the third century BCE, although the exact early history of the device is debated. Leonardo’s contribution was to investigate, adapt, and represent mechanical systems in detail rather than to originate the ancient principle.

This distinction matters because Leonardo is often credited too broadly with every machine he drew. His notebooks contain original proposals, studies of earlier technologies, and refinements of existing devices. The water screw belongs primarily to the last category.