Archimedes’ Screw

Archimedes’ Screw, one of the earliest kinds of pump, thought to have been invented about 250 BC by Greek mathematician and inventor Archimedes. It consists of an enormous spiral screw revolving inside a close-fitting cylinder. One of its most important uses is the raising of water for irrigation.

The lowest portion of the screw dips into the water, and as the cylinder is turned, the screw scoops up a small quantity of water. The inclination of the cylinder is such that at the next revolution the water is raised above the next thread, while the lowest thread scoops up another quantity of water. The successive revolutions, therefore, raise the water thread by thread until it emerges at the top of the cylinder.

The Archimedes’ screw has been widely used over the centuries to raise irrigation water and for land drainage. Of robust and simple construction, it has the advantage of being able to shift water that contains mud, sand, gravel, and even larger debris.