The Invention of the Plow
- 1 July 1985
- journal article
- explanations in-economic-history
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Comparative Studies in Society and History
- Vol. 27 (4) , 727-743
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0010417500011749
Abstract
The plow is one of those seminal inventions which has transformed history; unfortunately, we have little archaeological evidence about its origins. We believe that the plow existed 4,000 years ago in both ancient Sumar and Egypt, but we do not know when it was first introduced, or where, or by whom. It arrived in human history without fanfare and was an integral part of complex technological and social systems by the era from which we have first evidence of its presence.Keywords
This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- On induced economic change in precapitalist societiesJournal of Development Economics, 1982