Plough
device · 4000 BC · Stone Age
A tool for tilling soil.
What it is made of
- Ploughshare — has part. It undercuts the slice of earth.
- Mouldboard — has part. It turns the furrow over.
- Plough beam — has part. The beam to which the traces are attached.
- Handle — has part. Handles for steering the plough.
Principles and materials it uses
- Wedge — uses. The ploughshare parts the soil like a wedge.
- Horse collar — uses. The horse collar made ploughing with horses possible.
- Yoke — uses. It was pulled by oxen in a yoke.
- Domestication — uses. Draught animals.
- Wood — is made of. The ancient ard was wooden.
Where it is used
- Crop rotation — is used in. The three-field system with a heavy plough.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Steel plough — evolved into. A steel share.
- Hoe — evolved from. The plough mechanized loosening the soil with a hoe.