Leonardo da Vinci adapted the ancient Archimedes screw into a screw pump for lifting water.
An Archimedes screw uses a helical surface inside a tube or around a cylinder. When the screw rotates, water is carried upward through successive sections of the helix. Leonardo studied and drew screw-based hydraulic machinery as part of his broader investigations into canals, drainage and water power.
The underlying principle was not Leonardo’s invention. It is traditionally associated with Archimedes of Syracuse, who lived in the third century BCE. Leonardo’s contribution was to examine, redraw and develop mechanical applications of the ancient device within Renaissance engineering studies.
A screw pump differs from a water wheel. A wheel can extract or transmit energy from moving water, whereas a screw pump uses mechanical rotation to raise water. Leonardo’s hydraulic notebooks also discuss channels, locks, mills and methods for controlling flow, showing how closely his inventions were linked to water management.