![]() ![]() ![]() Dalley cites a cuneiform inscription as evidence, hailing the artefact as proof that the Assyrians were casting screw pumps in bronze in around the 7th century BC.ĭalley’s theory aligns with the writings of ancient Greek historian Strabo, who wrote that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon – the most elusive of the ‘7 wonders of the ancient world’ – had been irrigated using screws. Image Credit: Timo Roller, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsĪssyriologist Stephanie Dalley, for example, has theorised that water screws were in use in the Neo-Assyrian Empire during the reign of King Sennacherib (704-681 BC). The cast is exhibited in Landshut, Germany Some scholars have theorised, however, that ancient civilisations were in possession of the technology far earlier than the 3rd century BC.Ĭast of a rock relief of Sennacherib from the foot of Cudi Dağı, near Cizre. At that time, the Archimedes screw was used to raise water from the Nile, functioning as an irrigation tool. There’s evidence that the Archimedes screw was in use during the Hellenistic period of ancient Egyptian history, in around the 3rd century BC. Eventually, motors were employed to power screw pumps. In some civilisations, the shaft would be turned by way of manual labour. Methods of rotating the screw pump have varied widely over the centuries. In this way, water from a lower source (say, a river) could be easily raised to a different source (such as an irrigation ditch flowing to agricultural lands). Further turns raise the water through consecutive pockets of the helix until it reaches the top of the tube. As the screw turns, it scoops up some of the water. The bottom end of the tube is then placed in a body of water, and the tube is rotated. The Archimedes screw is essentially a hollow tube that contains a spiral or helix that winds its way up the cylinder. Image Credit: Zdravko Pečar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons A water pump in Egypt from the 1950s which uses the Archimedes’ screw mechanism ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |