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The Early History of the Pulleys and Crane Systems

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Abstract

Pulleys and cranes are used for hoisting loads with or without providing a significant gain in force. Both of these devices have provided convenience to humans since ancient times. Pulleys are considered to be one of the five mechanical powers of the ancient world. Their history is very much linked with the early history of cranes. The cranes originated from the pulley systems. In this paper, the early history of the application of these well-preserved ancient mechanical instruments is examined together. This paper mainly focuses on the various interesting applications of pulleys and cranes in ancient and medieval times. Yet theoretical developments in the timeline mentioned above are also included in this paper.

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Notes

  1. The information about Klazomenai excavations are based on the official Website of Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 24.06.2022: https://izmir.ktb.gov.tr/EN-240333/klazomenai-urla.html.

  2. This picture was taken from the Website on 24.06.2022: http://www.pakben.com/portfolio-items/klazomenai-zeytinyagi-isligi-urlaizmir/#iLightbox[481d8bb75f0910a3ed4]/0

  3. The picture of the relief taken from the website of Fondazione Torlonia on 15.10.2022: https://www.fondazionetorlonia.org/torlonia-collection/bassorilievo-con-veduta-del-portus-augusti.html

  4. Known as carabouhas or carabaccani in Latin.

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  1. University of Bartın, Bartın, Turkey

    Irem Aslan Seyhan

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  1. Irem Aslan Seyhan
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Correspondence to Irem Aslan Seyhan.

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Seyhan, I.A. The Early History of the Pulleys and Crane Systems. Found Sci 29, 87–103 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-022-09888-4

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