Medieval elevators?

[TheokinsJ]

Hi guys! So I'm writing a medieval-fantasy novel and am wondering what kinds of technology they had back in the day, in terms of cogs and mechanics and all that. In my world I have a contraption (almost like an elevator) that hoists up a large platform on which people stand so that they can reach the top of a large castle located on a cliff. My immediate idea was to have guards or people in sort of a guinea-pig wheel to power it but then I thought that perhaps weights or a pulley system could do it. Any thoughts?

 

[CupofJoe]

The Romans had animal and human power hoists for construction. Medieval cathedral builders certainly had hoists that would lift stones that weighed several tonnes. The technology isn't that complex and the material used fairly basic [wood for the frame and pulleys, hemp ropes and some iron for bearing and ratchets]. I think the rope being long and strong enough [and reliably so] might be the limiting factor, but there again I don't know that much about medieval rope...
To make it simpler in use I would imagine a counter weight system much like modern Lifts [sorry - I just can't write "Elevators" without adding "13th Floor"]
Nb. David and Leigh Eddings had counterweight hoists large enough for Viking style Long ships using similar technologies in one of the Belgariad books...

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

Unless you're planning on writing historically accurate fiction, you can just imply that your world has invented big mechanical counterweight pulley systems with gears and so forth. I wouldn't even bother explaining it unless the details of its operation are important to the plot; just sort of mention that there's big weights and a platform and gears and ropes.

If you DO need to go into detail, then you'd better make sure you have a solid understanding of how it could (plausibly) work, otherwise it might annoy people with engineering degrees