mechane

thumb|5th century BCE (model)

A mechane (; ) or machine was a crane used in Greek theatre, especially in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Made of wooden beams and pulley systems, the device was used to lift an actor into the air, usually representing flight. This stage machine was particularly used to bring gods onto the stage from above, hence the Latin term deus ex machina ("god from the machine"). Euripides' use of the mechane in Medea (431 BCE) is a notable use of the machine for a non-divine character. It was also often used by Aeschylus.