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Hydraulic pump

1st-2nd century

Museo Arqueológico Nacional

Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Madrid, Spain

A force pump or double-body water pump, built following the principles of its inventor, Ctesibius and explained by Vitruvius in his treatise On Architecture. It consists of two lateral cylinders, a plenum, a vertical suction tube and ends in an articulated V-shaped mouth. Inside the cylinders there are two pistons, hollows, topped with perforated rods. The pistons were connected by vertical rods to an iron beam that set them in motion and was supported by the frame, which was probably wooden. A series of valves positioned on the lower part of the cylinders and on the plenum chamber, opened and closed the flow of water that was pushed up through the central tube using pressure. The articulated mouth meant the flow of water could be turned in any direction. More so than for pumping out water that inundated mines or for extinguishing fires inside them, this pump could have been used to tackle the incandescent pyrite, combining the action of the fire and water. The Sotiel-Coronada mine by the river Odiel was one of the many mines exploited by the Romans in the Iberian Peninsula.

Details

  • Title: Hydraulic pump
  • Date Created: 1st-2nd century
  • Provenance: Sotiel-Coronada mine (Calañas, Huelva, Spain)
  • Type: Bronzework
  • Rights: Museo Arqueológico Nacional
  • External Link: CERES
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Cultural Context: Roman Empire

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