Rotary winnowing fan
Aventadora de manivela con ventilador rotatorio
- Date
- century I a.C. · confidence medium
- Place
- Jiyuan, Henan, China
- Credited to
- Peasants of the Han dynasty
- Field
- Life & health
What it is
A box with a crank-driven rotary fan that separates grain from chaff and dust. Ceramic models are found in Han tombs.
It reached Europe in the 18th century, probably via Jesuits and Dutch traders.
What it led to
- fast grain cleaning without depending on the wind
- use of the rotary fan in bellows and other devices