Made of wooden beams and pulley systems, the device was used to lift an actor into the air, usually representing flight.
Euripides' use of the mechane in Medea (431 BC) is a notable use of the machine for a non-divine character.
Stage machines were also used in ancient Rome, e.g. during the sometimes highly dramatic performances at funerals.
"[3] This is highly unlikely because Appian doesn't describe the mechane as a genuine deus-ex-machina device.
First and foremost, Marcus Antonius attempted to arouse the masses as a means to strengthen Caesar's esteem as well as his own political power.