Leonardo da Vinci designed a crane with a rotating drum and a long handle for lifting loads.
Leonardo's construction-machine drawings include cranes that use a drum, rope, gears, and a lever or handle. Turning the mechanism winds the rope around the drum, raising a load. The arrangement illustrates mechanical advantage: a worker applies force over a longer path to lift a heavier object over a shorter distance.
Cranes were not Leonardo's invention in the broad historical sense. Ancient Greek and Roman builders already used lifting machines, and medieval construction sites used many forms of hoist. Leonardo's importance is his detailed analysis of mechanisms and his efforts to make lifting safer, more controllable, and less labor-intensive.
A crane differs from a screw jack because it can lift a load and position it horizontally through a boom or rotating frame. Leonardo investigated both kinds of machines, along with pulleys, winches, and excavating equipment for building and canal work.