CHAP. XI. THRESHING AND WINNOWING. 91 



A certain quantity was first strewed in tlie 

 centre of the area, and wlien this had been well 

 triturated by the animals' feet, more was added by 

 means of large wooden forks, from the main heap, 

 raised around and forming the edge of the thresh- 

 ing floor ; and so on till all the grain was trodden 

 out. This process was called by the Latins tri- 

 tura *, and was generally adopted by ancient, as 

 by some modern people. Sometimes the cattle 

 were bound together by a piece of wood or a rope 

 fastened to their horns, in order to force them to 

 go round the heap, and tread it regularly, the 

 driver following behind them with a stick. t 



After the grain was trodden out, they winnowed 

 it with wooden sliovels ; it was then carried to 

 the granary in sacks, each containing a fixed quan- 

 tity, which was determined by wooden measures, a 

 scribe noting down the number as called by the 

 teller who superintended its removal. Sweepers 

 with small hand-brooms were employed to collect 

 the scattered grain that fell from the measure ; 

 and the " immense heaps of corn" mentioned by 

 Diodorus t, collected from '* the field which was 

 round about every city §," fully accord with the 

 representation of the paintings in the tombs i|, and 

 with those seen at the present day in the villages 

 of the Nile. Sometimes two scribes ^ were pre- 

 sent ; one to write down the number of measures 

 taken from the heap of corn, and the other to check 



* Sometimes by horses. Plin. xvii. 30. Virg. Gcorg. iii. 13:^. 



f Vide woodcut, No. 4-^9. 



X Diodor. i. 3(i. ^ Genes, xli. 48. 



II /7</c woodcut, No. 428. 431. If /'/V/c- vooilciit, No. 428. 



