Pulleys and cranes are used for hoisting loads with or without providing a significant gain in force. Both of these devices have provided convenience to humans since ancient times. Pulleys are considered to be one of the five mechanical powers of the ancient world. Their history is very much linked with the early history of cranes. The cranes originated from the pulley systems. In this paper, the early history of the application of these well-preserved ancient mechanical instruments is examined together. This paper mainly focuses on the various interesting applications of pulleys and cranes in ancient and medieval times. Yet theoretical developments in the timeline mentioned above are also included in this paper.

滑轮和起重机用于提升负载，无论是否提供显着的力增益。这两种设备自古以来都为人类提供了便利。滑轮被认为是古代世界五大机械动力之一。它们的历史与起重机的早期历史密切相关。起重机起源于滑轮系统。本文将一起考察这些保存完好的古代机械仪器的早期应用历史。本文主要介绍滑轮和起重机在古代和中世纪的各种有趣应用。然而，本文还包括上述时间线中的理论发展。