The Archimedes screw is mostly widely celebrated as the world’s first screw. Invented in the 3rd Century BC by the Greek polymath Archimedes, the Archimedes screw was used historically for transferring water from a low­lying body of water into irrigation ditches. Although the Archimedes screw’s function differs largely from the common use of fastening things together, it created the threaded pattern which is the essence of the screw.