What type of machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to raise water for irrigation?

Leonardo da Vinci designed versions of an Archimedes’ screw to raise water for irrigation.

An Archimedes’ screw is a rotating spiral surface inside a tube or cylinder. As the screw turns, water is carried upward along the spiral and discharged at a higher level. Leonardo studied and drew screw mechanisms for moving water, adapting an ancient principle to Renaissance engineering problems.

The device was not Leonardo’s original invention: ancient Greek tradition associates the screw with Archimedes of Syracuse, who lived in the third century BCE. Leonardo’s contribution was his detailed investigation and application of mechanical systems. The water-raising screw differs from Leonardo’s aerial screw, which was a separate theoretical flying-machine concept. Because both designs use spiral forms, they are easily confused, but one transports water and the other was intended to interact with air.