The lathe has been known since Antiquity, as Romans worked with ivory, stones, and wood (especially beech and boxwood). The first lathes used by the Romans and Egyptians were equipped with a bow. The craftsman was seated on a low seat and activated a bow by turning with the left hand. An assistant, operating the bow in front of him, freed his hands. The Middle Ages witnessed the arrival of poles and pedal lathes that allowed turning larger objects without help. Wheels later replaced the poles and participated in creating lathes that flourished in the Saint-Claude region from the 5th to the 19th century thanks to the power of water and later electricity.