Die Erntegerätschaften und Techniken in der Slowakei und deren karpatisch-balkanischer Kontext (Das Mähen mit der Sichel)

Abstract

Harvesting grain with a sickle with serrated edge is one of the oldest techniques of agrarian culture. It was known in Slovakia even before the arrival of the Slavs and was maintained here until the beginning of the 20th century. Gradually, sickles were improved - they had a serrated edge, the length gradually increased, the blade narrowed, and an offset handle was added. They were suitable for harvesting grain, not grass. The first part of the article is dedicated to the development of this harvesting technique in our territory - from the analysis of Celtic, Illyrian and Roman agriculture, through the description of harvesting techniques and tools that Slavic tribes brought with them. Lately, only in the 18th century, a new tool - a sickle (smooth blade) - was introduced into the harvesting process in Slovakia, which was related to the manufacturing, later factory production of scythes. The second part is a comparison of agrarian-ethnographic realities from the territory of Slovakia with other areas of the Central European and Balkan-Carpathian regions.