The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli (16th Century)

Agostino Ramelli was an Italian engineer who significantly contributed to water wheels, mills (for grain and others), cranes, and jacking devices development during 16th century. His treatise “Le diverse et artificiose machine del Capitano Agostino Ramelli” -The various and ingenious machines of Captain Agostino Ramelli- had a great impact in the field of mechanical engineering. About his BIO, he served in the Army of Giacomo de Medici where he took contact with engineering disciplines. After a couple of years he realized about mathematics and geometry as an important tool for engineers and artists, and started his career as inventor.

Captain Agostino Ramelli

Wikipedia has a very poor (¿?) article here about Agostino Ramelli, with a curious reference as a world wide web precursor due to his invention called “book wheel” or “reading wheel” which is basically a device designed to allow one person to read a variety of books in one location, simply turning a huge vertical or horizontal wheel where the books are located.

This treatise is a fine example of the exquisite work of sixteenth-century printers and engravers. Printed in folio format, thus allowing great detail to be placed in the numerous engraved plates, which a total of 195. Another particularity is the fact that was printed in French and Italian.

The... world wide web service precursor? Why don't we ask Mr. Berners-Lee's opinion?

Grain mill

Heavy duty crane example

Military application (deffense breaking)

Self explained... Ramelli has more than 5 different types of screw jack devices in his treatise

Water wheel (human action)

Water wheel (water action)

19th Century "Trattato di fortificazione e d'artiglieria" (Military Architecture and Artillery treatise)

Another military art jewel, a 19th century rare manuscript about fortifications, bastions and citadels architecture with a treatise about artillery and ballistics, all in one. Written in Italian with elegant calligraphy, has around 30 detailed full page illustrations and starts with an introduction of geometrics (basics rules to erect pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, etc that are used later to design fortifications, most of them by the sea or close to rivers). This manuscript has extraordinary similarities to the other military architecture treatise I posted last October (by Spanish Captain Cristobal de Rojas), named Theory and Practice of Fortifications.

Unfortunately, don’t have author’s name. I’ll update this post if my investigation goes further. I recommend a complete an amazing web page about classical military architecture (forts, arms & armour…): http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/