TheHierapolis sawmill was awater-powered stone sawmill in the Ancient Greek city ofHierapolis inRoman Asia (modern-dayTurkey). Dating to the second half of the 3rd century AD,^[2] thesawmill is considered the earliest known machine to combine acrank with aconnecting rod to form acrank-slider mechanism.^[1]

Thewatermill is evidenced by a raisedrelief on thesarcophagus of a certain Marcus Aurelius Ammianos, a localmiller. On thepediment awaterwheel fed by amill race is shown powering via agear train twoframe saws cutting rectangular blocks by the way of connecting rods and, through mechanical necessity, cranks (see diagram). The accompanying inscription is inGreek and attributes the mechanism to Ammianos' "skills with wheels".^[3]

Further Roman crank and connecting rod mechanisms, without gear train, are archaeologically attested for the 6th century AD water-powered stone sawmills atGerasa, Jordan,^[4] andEphesus, Turkey.^[5] A fourth sawmill possibly existed atAugusta Raurica, Switzerland, where a metal crank from the 2nd century AD has been excavated.^[6]

Literary references to water-poweredmarble saws inTrier, Germany, can be found inAusonius' late 4th century AD poemMosella. About the same time, they also seem to be indicated by theChristian saintGregory of Nyssa fromAnatolia, demonstrating a diversified use of water-power in many parts of theRoman Empire.^[7]

The three finds push back the date of the invention of the crank and connecting rod mechanism by a full millennium;^[8] for the first time, all essential components of the much latersteam engine were assembled by one technological culture:

With the crank and connecting rod system, all elements for constructing a steam engine (invented in 1712) —Hero'saeolipile (generating steam power), thecylinder andpiston (in metal force pumps),non-return valves (in water pumps),gearing (in water mills and clocks) — were known in Roman times.^[9]

• List of Roman watermills
• Barbegal aqueduct and mill

Roman sawmill at Hierapolis

• Ritti, Tullia; Grewe, Klaus; Kessener, Paul (2007), "A Relief of a Water-powered Stone Saw Mill on a Sarcophagus at Hierapolis and its Implications",Journal of Roman Archaeology, vol. 20, pp. 138–163,doi:10.1017/S1047759400005341,S2CID 161937987
• Grewe, Klaus (2009), "Die Reliefdarstellung einer antiken Steinsägemaschine aus Hierapolis in Phrygien und ihre Bedeutung für die Technikgeschichte. Internationale Konferenz 13.−16. Juni 2007 in Istanbul", in Bachmann, Martin (ed.),Bautechnik im antiken und vorantiken Kleinasien(PDF), Byzas (in German), vol. 9, Istanbul: Ege Yayınları/Zero Prod. Ltd., pp. 429–454,ISBN 978-975-8072-23-1, archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2011-05-11
• Grewe, Klaus (2010), "La máquina romana de serrar piedras. La representación en bajorrelieve de una sierra de piedras de la antigüedad, en Hierápolis de Frigia y su relevancia para la historia técnica (translation by Miguel Ordóñez)",Las técnicas y las construcciones de la Ingeniería Romana(PDF), V Congreso de las Obras Públicas Romanas (in Spanish), pp. 381–401

Roman sawmill at Gerasa

• Seigne, J. (2002a), "Une scierie mécanique au VIe siècle",Archéologia (in French), vol. 385, pp. 36–37
• Seigne, J. (2002b), "Sixth-Century Waterpowered Sawmill",Journal of the International Society of Molinology, vol. 64, pp. 14–16
• Seigne, J. (2002c), "A Sixth Century Water-powered Sawmill at Jerash",Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, vol. 26, pp. 205–213

Roman sawmill at Ephesos

• Mangartz, Fritz (2010),Die byzantinische Steinsäge von Ephesos. Baubefund, Rekonstruktion, Architekturteile, Monographs of the RGZM (in German), vol. 86, Mainz: Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum,ISBN 978-3-88467-149-8

Possible Roman sawmill at Augusta Raurica

• Schiöler, Thorkild (2009), "Die Kurbelwelle von Augst und die römische Steinsägemühle",Helvetia Archaeologica (in German), vol. 40, no. 159/160, pp. 113–124

• Seigne, J. (2006), "Water-powered Stone Saws in Late Antiquity. The Precondition for Industrialisation?", in Wiplinger, G. (ed.),Cura Aquarum in Ephesos. Proceedings of the 12th Int. Congress on the History of Water Management and Hydraulic Engineering in the Mediterranean Region, Ephesus/Selçuk, Turkey, October 2-10, 2004, Vol. 1, Babesch suppl. 12, Leiden: Peeters, pp. 383–390,ISBN 978-90-429-1829-0
• Wikander, Örjan (2000), "Industrial Applications of Water-Power", in Wikander, Örjan (ed.),Handbook of Ancient Water Technology, Technology and Change in History, vol. 2, Leiden: Brill, pp. 401–412,ISBN 90-04-11123-9
• Wikander, Örjan (2008), "Sources of Energy and Exploitation of Power", inOleson, John Peter (ed.),The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 136–157,ISBN 978-0-19-518731-1
• Wilson, Andrew (2002), "Machines, Power and the Ancient Economy",The Journal of Roman Studies, vol. 92, pp. 1–32,doi:10.2307/3184857,JSTOR 3184857,S2CID 154629776

• Traianus – The European Portal of Roman Engineeringto download "La máquina de serrar piedras", Klaus Grewe's article translated into Spanish, one needs to register at the site for free
• Reconstruction of the water-powered sawmill at Ephesos (pictures, videoclips, 3D simulation)(in German)

• Ancient Roman watermills
• Watermills in Turkey
• Ancient inventions

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• Articles with German-language sources (de)