Leonardo's machines shown in Rome, Naples
Two separate exhibitions in Rome and Naples are under way showcasing many reconstructions of the machines designed by Leonardo da Vinci.
The Rome exhibition runs at the Galleria Agostiniana until March 4, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Thursday. It comprises 50 models, many full-sized, based on drawings in Leonardo's various coded notebooks such as the Codex Arundel, Madrid, Atlantic, Forster and Leicester.
Included among the displays are a huge machine for digging trenches, a horse-drawn wagon with scythes for mowing down enemies at the front, rear and sides; and a model of a suspension bridge that armies could build quickly when they needed to cross a river, ANSA said.
The Naples exhibition runs through Feb. 26 and also features various Leonardo inventions, including a mechanical drum on a cart that was designed to replace hundreds of drummers who risked their lives during 15th-century battles. The device, pulled by a horse or two men, would have generated the same effect as a dozen small drums.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
