JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
Well, this is not anywhere near the first image of a pulley, not anywhere close–I don’t even know when that might have appeared in a manuscript in the 9th century or whatever–but it is certainly a very attractive gang of pulleys. It occurs in Robert Fludd’s (1574-1637), Utriusque Cosmi . . . Historia (1617), and in it I see Hero/Heron of Alexandria (10-70 ACE), who I always associate with the pulley, and of course with his famous inventions, which in some respect are early forms of ‘robots”. In this image, the pulley-robot of some complex means is operating the “drive element” and producing (still) the necessary energy to produce change. And–this is a fine image.
[Source: University of Utah,http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/naturae/id/1587/show/1265/rec/1]