Although there are others from earlier times who could lay claim to it, the invention of the screw pump is generally attributed to the great Greek scientist and mathematician, Archimedes (287-212BC), during a visit to Egypt. His design was a pump that utilised a rotating spiral plate to lift water between levels; the device enabling effective drainage of mine workings and irrigation of hillside crops with greatly reduced effort. Archimedes was a well-known inventor during his life, so much so that the Roman general Marcus Claudius Marcellus ordered that he be spared during Rome’s final assault on Syracuse in 212BC, as a useful asset who could be ranged against Carthage. Unfortunately, his refusal to comply with a Roman soldier’s order ended his life prematurely. Irritated by the interruption whilst he was contemplating a complex mathematical diagram, Archimedes allegedly uttered “Do not disturb my circles!”, enraging the man who promptly drew his sword and killed him on the spot.
