What rotating machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to lift water from one level to another?

Leonardo da Vinci studied and designed versions of the Archimedes’ screw, a rotating device for lifting water.

The machine uses a helical surface or spiral blade inside a tube or trough. When the screw turns, water trapped between the spiral and its casing moves upward. Leonardo’s notebooks contain detailed studies of screws, pumps, and hydraulic machinery, applying the ancient principle to Renaissance engineering problems.

The device was not invented by Leonardo. It is traditionally associated with Archimedes, the Greek mathematician and engineer, and ancient versions were used for irrigation and drainage. Leonardo’s contribution was to analyze, draw, and adapt hydraulic mechanisms rather than originate the underlying principle.

The Archimedes’ screw should also not be confused with Leonardo’s aerial screw, which was a proposed flying machine. The two designs share a spiral form but serve completely different purposes.