April 28, 2025
SIU students to showcase working replica of ancient bucket-chain machine
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Ancient Romans and Greeks used many machines to build their societies. Students and faculty will demonstrate a working replica of one of these machines – a chain-type contraption that lifted buckets of water from a well or other water source – at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The event will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 1, at the southwest corner of the Engineering Building courtyard. Students and program leaders will be on hand to demonstrate the machine and talk about its function and purpose, as well as the ancient practices program.
Building the machine is a project by students in SIU’s ancient practices program, which grew out of a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2019. The program focuses on broadening the perspective of students pursuing objective disciplines – such as science, engineering, technology and mathematics – by demonstrating the relevance of the humanities to their own interests. The program leads to a minor in ancient practices.
Ancient builders used bucket-chain machines to lift water in large quantities from wells or cisterns, said Ken Anderson, one of the program’s leaders and director of the Advanced Energy Institute at SIU.
“The team has done an excellent job and has constructed a device that nicely demonstrates how these types of water lifting machines probably worked,” Anderson said.
The team of students that built the machine is planning a full demonstration for the project sponsors, Asaturian Eaton and Associates, a local engineering company.
Reporters, photographers and news crews are invited to cover the event. For more information, contact Anderson at kanderson@siu.edu.