THRESHING |
The Greeks and Romans practised in early times the same method of separating the corn from the ear as other ancient nations. A threshing-floor, carefully prepared for the purpose, was constructed in the open air, and the corn trodden out by oxen, mules, or horses, driven round in a circle. Sometimes it was beaten out with sticks. The Romans sometimes used machines. One of these was the tribulum, a board or beam with a sharp edge of stone or iron underneath, loaded with weights on the top and drawn by oxen, which were driven by a man sitting on the handle. Another was the plostellum Poenicum, borrowed from the Carthaginians. This consisted of several rollers or cylinders fitted with iron spikes. |
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Pictures and Media
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BUST OF THUCYDIDES. (Holkham Hall, Norfolk.) |
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