page_title: Crane (machine)
section_title: Early modern age
hierarchical_section_title: Crane (machine) / History / Early modern age
caption_attribution_description: English: Text on the banner: Dispositione e veduta generale delle machine che servirono per alzare l'obelisco Vaticano (translation: Positioning and overview of the machines that will erect the Vatican obelisk). In 1586, Domenico Fontana erected an Obelisk on Peter's Square in Rome. It took a concerted effort of 900 men and 75 horses and countless pulleys to erect this monument. Deutsch: Text im Banner: Dispositione e veduta generale delle machine che servirono per alzare l'obelisco Vaticano (deutsch: Aufstellung und allgemeiner Überblick der Maschinen, die verwendet werden, um den vatikanischen Obelisken aufzurichten).1586 richtete Domenico Fontana den Obelisk auf dem Peterplatz in Rom auf. Es bedurfte der Zusammenarbeit von 900 Männern, 75 Pferden und unzähliger Flaschenzüge um das Monument aufzurichten.
context_page_description: A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It is mainly used for lifting heavy things and transporting them to other places. The device uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of a human. Cranes are commonly employed in the transport industry for the loading and unloading of freight, in the construction industry for the movement of materials, and in the manufacturing industry for the assembling of heavy equipment.
  The first known crane machine was the shadouf, a water-lifting device that was invented in ancient Mesopotamia and then appeared in ancient Egyptian technology. Construction cranes later appeared in ancient Greece, where they were powered by men or animals, and used for the construction of buildings. Larger cranes were later developed in the Roman Empire, employing the use of human treadwheels, permitting the lifting of heavier weights.
context_section_description: A lifting tower similar to that of the ancient Romans was used to great effect by the Renaissance architect Domenico Fontana in 1586 to relocate the 361 t heavy Vatican obelisk in Rome. From his report, it becomes obvious that the coordination of the lift between the various pulling teams required a considerable amount of concentration and discipline, since, if the force was not applied evenly, the excessive stress on the ropes would make them rupture.
  
  Cranes were also used domestically during this period. The chimney or fireplace crane was used to swing pots and kettles over the fire and the height was adjusted by a trammel.
caption: Erection of the Vatican obelisk in 1586 by means of a lifting tower
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2004:04:07 16:40:53", "Image ExifOffset": "156", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "294", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7584", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1000", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "842"}