What water-raising machine did Leonardo da Vinci sketch using a helical screw?

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Leonardo da Vinci sketched an Archimedes' screw as a water-raising machine using a helical screw.

An Archimedes' screw consists of a spiral surface inside a tube or around a shaft. When the screw rotates, water is carried upward from one level to another. Leonardo studied and drew screw-based lifting devices, adapting the ancient principle for engineering applications such as drainage and irrigation.

The machine was not Leonardo's original invention. It is traditionally attributed to Archimedes, the Greek mathematician and engineer, who lived in the third century BCE. Leonardo's contribution was to document, analyze, and develop mechanical forms of the device during the Renaissance.

This invention is different from Leonardo's aerial screw, which was a proposed flying-machine concept. Both use a spiral form, but the water screw transports liquid while the aerial screw was intended to interact with air.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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