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Can you imagine life without most of the fancy
gadgets that we are getting used to? What must have life been like
before they invented electricity? Are you beginning the feel of what
it must have been like for early man to plough and till land for
agriculture, until an implement as simple as the plough was
invented? Undoubtedly, it was an arduous task, breaking up the soil
with hoes and mallets before the grain could be planted.
The plough,
in its earliest form, is said to have originated in Egypt and
Mesopotamia in 4000 BC. Historians say there is evidence
substantiating the claim. They say that in both countries, a
picture of the plough was used as a word sign in early forms of
writing. This, the earliest plough, was a very simple production. It
consisted of a forked branch that was lashed to a pole. The junction
of the fork was placed down on the soil in such a way that it made a
groove into the soil as the plough was moved. The fork ends served
as handles and the pole pulled the plough. Although it was likely
that the plough was pulled by humans, the pictures in Mesopotamia
depict the plough as being pulled by oxen. From then on it was the
ox that was used to pull the plough. |
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Ox drawn
ploughs were in use in Egypt until recent times, but changes in the
Mesopotamian version apparently occurred before 2000 BC. The newer
version enabled ploughing and sowing to take place simultaneously. A
pair of handles was used instead of the fork. This was placed inside
a wooden block, which served as the ploughshare. The wooden block
was, of course, much bigger than the earlier ploughshare that the
junction of the fork served as. A vertical hole was drilled through
the wooden block and a tube was fitted inside it. A funnel was
placed at the top of the tube and seeds were poured through the
funnel so that plough and sowing of the seeds took place
simultaneously. In some remote parts of the Middle East, it is said
that this version of the plough is still used.
In Europe,
the early plough, in use in 2000 BC, were substantially different.
The fork design was used in reverse. One hand of the fork was cut
short and sharp and used as the ploughshare, while the second hand
was left long enough to be used as the pole for drawing. A single
handle was attached to the share and the pole, which meant that the
ploughman had one hand free to goad and guide the oxen.
From the
first century BC onwards, ploughs in the Mediterranean countries
were improvised or hybrid varieties of these early ploughs. However,
man soon realized that these types of ploughs did no more digging
into the soil. They did not turn the soil over effectively. For this
purpose, a mould board, a twisted plank behind the share that would
slip under the cut soil and force it over would be required. The
Slavs of the western frontier are credited with the invention of the
mould board. Soon, it spread both to the West and the Far East.
Frequently, a pair of wheels was added to support the weight of the
plough and the number of the ox team was increased to four.
This opened
up new horizons for the farmers. Heavy, damp soil could be opened.
Ploughing up and down a hill, leaving channels between strips of
land automatically took care of excess water that would drain off.
Gradually, the plough was improvised and a plot measuring an acre
in area could be covered in a day. |
