medieval elevators

[Aspiring Writer]

Okay, what's the earliest form of an elevating platform that doesn't require manpower?

[Quantus he/him]

The earliest known elevator was built by Archimedes in 236 BC, but "doesnt require manpower" might be harder to pin down.  Once you have the basic mechanism, the power can be Man/Self power, Slave-power, animal power, and/or whatever known Milling power source they had in the area (hydraulic/water wheel, wind, etc) to rewind/recharge/reset them. For a long time they were more or less just Pulley systems until the Screw Drive in the late 1700's brought them closer to modern elevator. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator#Pre-industrial_era

Edited December 22, 2020 by Quantus