History of Cranes

The need of Cranes Arises

The Ancient Greeks felt compelled to build huge temples to their gods and traditional methods like ramps for moving and lifting the enormous building stones of massive monuments like the Parthenon just weren’t going to get the jobs done. Hence, the need of Cranes arose.

The first crane for lifting heavy loads was invented by the Ancient Greeks in the late 6th century BC. The archaeological record shows that no later than c.515 BC distinctive cuttings for both lifting tongs and lewis irons begin to appear on stone blocks of Greek temples.

Ancient Cranes

At first a simple winch and pulley system, and later a compound pulley system was invented by the Greeks.

Today, you can see the difference in the way temples were built in different time periods. Pre-cranes, building blocks actually tended to be much larger, because so much effort was required to push each one up a ramp that it was less labor-intensive to use bigger and fewer blocks. Post-cranes, blocks were smaller, but stacked higher, in more complicated and advanced structures, and more quickly.

Cranes Power the Roman Empire

The ancient Romans also became reliant on cranes for their construction, initially adopting ancient Greek designs and going on to adapt them in order to make them more efficient.

The Romans were the first to use the multiple cranes for cooperative lifting tasks, as is evident by the massive cornerstone blocks used in some of the famous structures. The Roman army needed cranes that could move quickly, be assembled and torn down quickly, and perform a variety of tasks—all without losing their powerful lifting capabilities. As Roman Empire stretched further and further away from Rome, and as conquering armies became more and more ambitious, mobility and versatility in their cranes became key.

The Romans invented a variety of cranes. Their simplest design, known as the trispastos, allowed a single man to lift an estimated 150kg. Other cranes, such as the polyspastos, could lift an estimated 3,000kg when operated by four men, and if the winch was replaced with a treadwheel could lift up to 6,000kg with just two men.

Today, you can see that influence in how cranes are used all over the world. You find them on boats, docks, trains, and trucks, often able to be quickly adapted for difficult, unusual tasks. Lifting capacity has skyrocketed, up to 1,000 tons. In the end, the Romans proved just how much mobility and versatility multiply capability of cranes.

Medieval Cranes

In the Middle Ages, the treadwheel crane reached prominence when it was brought back into use in Western Europe, having previously fallen into disuse following the demise of the Roman Empire.

Cranes offered a safe, efficient and more cost-effective way of vertically transporting goods. This lead to the method being applied to harbours, mines and building sites across Europe.

Modern Day Cranes

The Industrial Revolution created an even greater need for cranes, as well as the need to make them more efficient and easier to operate. This led to the invention of first Hydraulic crane by Sir William Armstrong.

The Future

Today, Manufacturers of cranes are constantly seeking new ways to incorporate new technology into their products. Future cranes will have improved safety and versatility with computers and video screens that will allow operators to move heavy objects with increased accuracy.