Blogs

Donkeys, The Helpmeet Of Humankind In Pharaonic Egypt

Donkeys had long been domesticated in ancient Egypt and may have come from the family of Equus africanus known in Nubia. An illustration painted on a pre-dynastic (ca. 3000 BCE) schist plaque shows a donkey among the booty taken in Libya. The Egyptians used donkeys as pack animals and they were among the livestock of… Continue reading Donkeys, The Helpmeet Of Humankind In Pharaonic Egypt

The Learning Curve At Lauresham Open-Air Laboratory

– from oxen to old swine breed. Preparing the field for winter crops. A team of two Raetian Grey Oxen at the Lauresham Open Air Laboratory in Germany is ploughing one of the fields with a (re)constructed Early Medieval ard. In Lauresham various medieval field types (e.g. ridge and furrow) and systems (e.g. three-field crop rotation)… Continue reading The Learning Curve At Lauresham Open-Air Laboratory

Animal Draft And Its Multiple Heritage: A French Problem?

Utilitarian harnessing methods are invariably the pertinent expression of an activity (agricultural, industrial, commercial) in a particular environment (that may be economic, geographic, technical and cultural, all at the same time). Innovation has been a permanent feature over the last 2500 years and applies to material (harness, vehicles, tools), zootechnics, architecture, urbanism, agronomy… Over the… Continue reading Animal Draft And Its Multiple Heritage: A French Problem?

Small is beautiful

Model farm vehicles from the collections of the COMPA Chartres, France. The COMPA (Conservatoire de l’agriculture) has a very large collection of model farm vehicles and implements created in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as their archive collection of photographs and postcards, to share with us. With thanks to Élodie Massouline, Chargée… Continue reading Small is beautiful

Carts And Wagons In The Bulskampveld Collection

Since the beginning of 2018, the Centre for Agrarian History (CAG) Leuven, Belgium, has been responsible for the management and public valorization of the ‘Collection Bulskampveld’, owned by the Flemish government. The collection counts more than 8500 artefacts and consists among other things of carts, wagons, agricultural tools and material for crafts such as wheelwright,… Continue reading Carts And Wagons In The Bulskampveld Collection

The Hermaphrodite Cart

The Hermaphrodite Cart is a type of cart ~ waggon that was used in the eastern counties of England, for example Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, from the 1800s until the mid-1900s. In farm parlance, it was often called a “mophrey” and was created, primarily in hay or harvest time, by extending a two-wheeled cart through the… Continue reading The Hermaphrodite Cart

A Classic Source Book On Carts And Wagons

Like most Shire publications, this small volume is packed with erudition, outstanding photographs, both black-and-white and in colour, enhanced by numerous line drawings of the vehicles and of their component parts, carefully labelled, so the book punches far over its weight. It opens with a surprise – to us, perhaps – that is, the suggestion… Continue reading A Classic Source Book On Carts And Wagons

News From The Guild Of Model Wheelwrights

Unfortunately, the news is not too good – unable to find members who can carry on the publication of Wheel Write and other communication, the Guild decided to close down at their October 2018 AGM, although the website will continue for an as yet undefined period at http://www.guildofmodelwheelwrights.org/ and you can still enjoy the pleasure… Continue reading News From The Guild Of Model Wheelwrights

Horse-driven Transport In Agriculture In The Collections Of The Jærmuseet, Norway

Jærmuseet is a family of museums at 13 different locations across the Jæren region as well as the regional science center for Southwest Norway. Jæren is a traditional district in Rogaland county, Norway, and the largest flat lowland, including the Stavanger Peninsula, so strongly connected to the farming industry, due to its long crop period and… Continue reading Horse-driven Transport In Agriculture In The Collections Of The Jærmuseet, Norway

Polish Multiple-Use Transport Vehicles

A medley of transport vehicles for multiple uses from the National Museum of Agriculture and Food Industry, Szreniawa, Poland. The following pictures come from the museum’s collection and from the exhibit catalogue Historia Transportu Wiejskiejo (History of Rural Transport) with illustrations of vehicles, wheel and carriage design, implements, horse harness, human draft (carry yoke), and… Continue reading Polish Multiple-Use Transport Vehicles

The Horse Cart Of Brăila

A Symbolic Tale From The World Of The Villages Of Ialomița. The history of traditional transport brings with it an emotional charge that is hard to imagine in a century centred on individualism and speed. From the research projects of the [Romanian] National Museum of Agriculture, materialized through the acquisitions of objects, we would like… Continue reading The Horse Cart Of Brăila