Cranes In Ancient Times
A world without cranes is inconceivable in the 21st century; whether it’s the Manchester tower block we work in or the steel bridge that we drive over every day, these long, elegant machines are responsible for the structures that allow us to live our lives as we do. When people think of cranes, however, they might associate them with a building built in the last hundred years, such as the Empire State Building in New York rather than ancient times. Cranes are old technology that has been in use for thousands of years!
Ancient Cranes
Whereas today cranes are powered by petrol, gasoline or advanced hydraulics, ancient cranes relied on human power. What is interesting though is that there is no limit to the weight that humans can lift by muscle power or the potential height. The big benefit of modern cranes is lifting speed. This means that the only limit to the abilities of ancient cranes was the number of people you could get to pull and having enough patience to do it. Because of this, ancient cranes were capable of incredible feats.
Greece
The first known use of the crane was by the ancient Greeks six centuries before Christ; in fact, the crane is named so because they thought that it resembled the long neck of the bird. The earliest cranes were made up of a rope passed through a pulley and was used as a method of drawing water from wells, before people began using the technology in construction. Famous landmarks such as the Parthenon in Athens used blocks of up to 20 metric tons.
Rome
The Roman Empire is famed for its feats of construction across Europe, Africa and Asia. The adoption of the crane from the Greeks and its development allowed the creation of aqueducts, monuments and enormous buildings. The most basic Roman crane was the Trispastos that could raise 150 kg with just a single person. Bigger cranes such as the Polyspastos consisted of a winch that was operated by four men and could lift 3,000 KG. At the maximum of extent Roman capability was the ability to lift a block of over 100 tonnes in construction for various important temples, such as the temple of Jupiter in Rome.
Armquest
We at Armquest excel at working with a huge range of different jobs and varied projects across the North West region. We supply personalised industrial services such as contract lifting, crane hire, plant lift and shift, plant dismantling and hot tub lifting. Our team of highly experienced industry specialists know exactly what crane or machinery you need for your exact situation and the advice on how to operate it. By providing customer service that is second to none, we meet the expectations of our customers and exceed them. Armquest is based in Manchester but has a diverse range of satisfied customers across the local area and beyond. Call us today on 01617 278 578 or email us via stevegroves@armquest.co.uk.