Curved skid steer

Agriculture was the staple of economy in Slavic states. In the early-medieval period, land devoted to the cultivation of cereals was limited to small areas, which were created by burning forests. Initially well-fertilised with wood ash, the soil quickly became sterile. In the 11th and 12th centuries, the so-called three-field system began to gain popularity in Pomerania. The system entailed dividing a field into three parts, one sown with spring grain in spring, the second with winter grain in autumn, while the third was left aside to rest. The diet of the inhabitants of centres such as Szczecin or Wolin in the 9th and 10th century was based on millet, common wheat, barley and rye. In the 10th century, wheat cultivation became more popular. Wooden ards were one of the basic tools used in cereal cultivation, allowing the inhabitants to loosen the top layer of the soil. Such items are among the rarest archaeological finds. The artefact from Kamień Pomorski is an example of a skid wooden ard, dating back to the 11th century. It was found near one of the walls of a wattle and doub house. The ard was made of oak and birch wood. It consists of a tongue, which was used for harnessing draft animals, as well as a shaft, at the end of which a handle held by a ploughman was installed, parallel to the skids. The lower part of the device consists of a skid with a heel – its working element. The tongue and the skid are strengthened by a pillar connecting the two elements. Currently, the collection of the National Museum in Szczecin holds a replica of the ard plough.

Grzegorz Durdyń