Three of the simple machines were studied and described by Greek

philosopher Archimedes around the 3rd century BC: the lever, pulley and screw.[19]
[20]
 Archimedes discovered the principle of mechanical advantage in the lever.[21] Later
Greek philosophers defined the classic five simple machines (excluding the inclined plane)
and were able to roughly calculate their mechanical advantage. [1] Heron of Alexandria (ca.
10–75 AD) in his work Mechanics lists five mechanisms that can "set a load in motion";
lever, windlass, pulley, wedge, and screw, [20] and describes their fabrication and uses.
[22]
 However, the Greeks' understanding was limited to statics (the balance of forces) and
did not include dynamics (the tradeoff between force and distance) or the concept of work.

An ore crushing machine powered by a water wheel

The earliest practical water-powered machines, the water wheel and watermill, first

appeared in the Persian Empire, in what are now Iraq and Iran, by the early 4th century
BC.[23] The earliest practical wind-powered machines, the windmill and wind pump, first
appeared in the Muslim world during the Islamic Golden Age, in what are now Iran,
Afghanistan, and Pakistan, by the 9th century AD. [24][25][26][27] The earliest practical steam-
powered machine was a steam jack driven by a steam turbine, described in 1551 by Taqi
al-Din Muhammad ibn Ma'ruf in Ottoman Egypt.[28][29]