What water-powered machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to raise water through a screw mechanism?

Leonardo da Vinci designed versions of the Archimedes’ screw, a water-powered machine that raises water through a rotating spiral. The basic principle was much older than Leonardo and is traditionally associated with Archimedes of Syracuse.

A helical surface turns inside a tube or trough, carrying water upward from a lower level to a higher one. Leonardo studied and redrew screw-based lifting devices as part of his investigations into hydraulics, engineering, and continuous mechanical motion.

Leonardo did not invent the ancient machine, despite the prominence of his drawings in discussions of Renaissance engineering. His contribution was to analyze, adapt, and represent existing hydraulic principles in detailed technical studies. The device remains useful in drainage, irrigation, and wastewater systems.