What rotating device did Leonardo da Vinci propose for lifting water from one level to another?

Leonardo da Vinci proposed an Archimedes screw as a rotating device for lifting water from one level to another. The machine uses a helical surface inside a tube or cylindrical housing. As the screw turns, water is carried upward along the spiral and discharged at a higher elevation.

The basic principle was ancient rather than Leonardo’s invention. Archimedes is traditionally associated with the device, and versions of the water screw were known long before the Renaissance. Leonardo studied and drew related mechanisms, adapting the broader idea of screw-based lifting to his investigations of hydraulics and machinery.

This distinction matters because Leonardo is often credited with inventing every machine he illustrated. In this case, his contribution was analysis, documentation, and mechanical refinement, not the original invention of the screw pump. The Archimedes screw remains useful today for irrigation, drainage, wastewater treatment, and moving bulk materials, although modern versions may use an inclined rotating screw in an open channel.