machina : MAH-ki-nah

(Latin; pl. machinae; from Greek mēchanē, μηχανή: machine or mechanical device). Vitruvius lists three types of machinae: akrobatikón (scaling machine similar to bosun’s chair); pneumatikón (wind machine or wind organ); and baroulkón: (construction crane). Although these classifications are not specific to the theatre, they all have theatrical applications. Of primary note is the baroulkón, or construction crane: all Greek and Roman large construction projects employed cranes in the lifting and positioning of stone building materials. It is a logical assumption that the Athenian Acropolis construction site had an abundance of these machines available for Euripides to fly a god if the script so dictated, see: (deus ex machina ).