BC / ADBCE / CE

c. 50 BCE

Watermills for mechanical work

Energy · Technology · Infrastructure

Water wheels were already turning millstones by about 50 BCE. This use of flowing water converted natural energy into mechanical work long before industrialization.

Precision, calendar, and review
Start
year · approximate
Calendar and convention
Historical-era years; the source calendar is not identified. No conversion of days is assumed.
Year zero
The scale goes from 1 BCE to 1 CE without year zero. Changing era names changes labels only.
Documentary review
Date not recorded

Reading the date: point event.

Sources

  1. repository.si.edu (opens in a new tab)
    Source provenance and scope
    Publication date
    Pending verification: the source could not be accessed
    Bibliographic date checked
    2026-09-23

    The correspondence between this reference and individual claims has not yet been itemized.

This record is an editorial synthesis. Consult the sources to check claims and their limits. Chronological relationships alone do not establish causation.

Cite this record

Suggest a correction in the atlas