Theory

Technology

The History of the Chain

The term “chain” is derived from the Latin word “Catena” or the Old High German word “Kutti” (row, flock). The history of the chain began as jewelry; link chains were worn as jewelry during the Bronze Age (around 200 BC). After that, many scholars studied the chain, including the Greek engineer Philon of Byzantium in his book *Mechanike Syntaxis* and Leonardo da Vinci, who often sketched link chains in his drawings—chains that closely resemble the block-and-leaf chains widely used today.

A bucket elevator with a link chain was built as early as the 1st century BC by the Roman architect and engineer Marcus Vitruvius Pollio. The first patent was granted to the Englishman Ph. White in 1634 for the first iron anchor chain. In 1813, Th. Brunten developed a link chain with bar links. However, the chain only became significant with the onset of industrialization. The Frenchman André Galle invented the gall chain, named after him, in 1829, and H. Renold from Switzerland acquired the patent for the steel link chain in England in 1880. The chain then continued its triumphant advance and was used in mining, agriculture, and everywhere else, as it was now available in large quantities thanks to industrial production.