What type of machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to lift water using a spiral mechanism?

Leonardo da Vinci studied and designed versions of the Archimedes’ screw, a spiral machine used to lift water.

The Archimedes’ screw consists of a helical surface inside a cylinder or around a central shaft. When the screw rotates, water is carried upward along the spiral. Leonardo drew and examined screw-based water-lifting devices as part of his wider investigations into hydraulics, canals, irrigation, and mechanical power.

The machine was not Leonardo’s original invention. It is traditionally associated with Archimedes of Syracuse, who lived in the third century BCE. Leonardo’s contribution was to study, refine, and apply related mechanisms within Renaissance engineering.

The Archimedes’ screw remains useful because it can move water with relatively simple machinery and is effective when water must be raised a moderate height. It should not be confused with Leonardo’s aerial screw, which was a proposed flying machine rather than a water pump.