THE NEW STONE) AGE 
dozen men and probably coming nearer to making a con- 
tinuous furrow, is shown on the Egyptian monuments 
(Fig. 79). 
Apparently, then, certain peoples, still in the Neolithic 
phase of culture, had developed a crude sort of plow, 
drawn or jerked 
along by men or 
women. Perhaps 
their close asso- 
ciation with the 
ideas of fertility 
and growth led 
man to use sa- 
cred animals, es- 
pecially cattle, 
tow) ‘help, drag 
these early implements through the ground. In some 
such way the true ox-drawn plow of the earliest historical 
times must have developed. 
Man had probably learned to make string, including 
thread and yarn of various degrees of fineness, well back 
in the Old Stone Age. Possibly then, and certainly during 
the following Mesolithic, 
i ui 'y ‘ \) he had learned to weave 
fibers of various sorts 
. 
Fic. 79. Ancient Egyptian man-drawn plough. 
After Moret and Davy 
MU into matting and basket- 
of UT ,, erate: ee thie teas 
M "ue wt but a step to the weaving 
of textiles. He had long 
since grasped the idea of 
Fic. 80. Prehistoric Swedish rock en- cutting and fitting animal 
graving of ae ea After de skins for garments, so 
when the superiority of 
cloth for this purpose became apparent, he could make the 
change without difficulty. 
Different parts of the world used different fibers for 
weaving: Europe, western Asia, and ancient Egypt used 
[260 | 
