Persian Wheel for Lifting Water – Another Ancient Innovation
Lifting water can increase the area that can be farmed, improve agricultural productivity, and provide drinking water. A Persian Wheel lifts water with animal or human power when there is insufficient flow for a noria. The animal energy was often supplied by a team of oxen. The Persian wheel may have been invented in Persia, Egypt, Kush (Sudan), Nubia, India, or even China. The earliest reference is found in the Panchatantra (c. 3rd century BCE), where it was known as an araghaṭṭa a combination of the words ara (spoked wheel) and ghaṭṭa “pot” in Sanskrit. Early Mediterranean evidence of a … Continue reading