When was the elevator invented?

Elevators, which are commonly used nowadays, still seem more like a modern invention. In fact, the first elevators were constructed thousands of years ago. For example, an elevator is mentioned in the ancient writing of Vitruvius: this machine was designed and built by Archimedes in 236 B.C. It was operated by hoisting ropes wound around a drum and rotated by manpower applied to a capstan.

Ancient Romans also used elevators in the tunnels beneath the Colosseum. Large animals were kept there, and hundred of men powered the elevators to lift them up into the arena.