Hierapolis sawmill

Scheme of the water-driven sawmill at Hierapolis, Roman Asia. The 3rd-century mill is considered the earliest known machine to incorporate a crank and connecting rod.[1]

The Hierapolis sawmill was a water-powered stone sawmill in the Ancient Greek city of Hierapolis in Roman Asia (modern-day Turkey). Dating to the second half of the 3rd century AD,[2] the sawmill is considered the earliest known machine to combine a crank with a connecting rod to form a crank-slider mechanism.[1]

The watermill is evidenced by a raised relief on the sarcophagus of a certain Marcus Aurelius Ammianos, a local miller. On the pediment a waterwheel fed by a mill race is shown powering via a gear train two frame saws cutting rectangular blocks by the way of connecting rods and, through mechanical necessity, cranks (see diagram). The accompanying inscription is in Greek and attributes the mechanism to Ammianos' "skills with wheels".[3]

  1. ^ a b Ritti, Grewe & Kessener 2007, p. 161; Grewe 2009, p. 429; Grewe 2010
  2. ^ Ritti, Grewe & Kessener 2007, p. 140
  3. ^ Ritti, Grewe & Kessener 2007, pp. 139–141