Inside was a hearth with smoke going up through a hole in
the roof, and a cauldron for cooking food. There was an upright
loom in the darkness. The floor was swept clean. At the door were
spears or bags of slingstones ready for immediate use. The King
lived in the largest hut. Gullies outside carried off excess
water. Each hut had a garden for fruit and vegetables. A goat or
cow might be tied out of reach of the garden. There was a fence or
hedge surrounding and protecting the garden area and dwelling.
Buckets and cauldrons which had originated from the Mediterranean
were used. Querns with the top circular stone turned by hand over
the bottom stone were used for grinding grain. There were ovens to
dry and roast grain. Grain was first eaten as a porridge or
cereal. There were square wood graneries on stilts and wood racks
on which to dry hay. Grain was stored in concealed pits in the
earth which were lined with drystone or basketwork or clay and
made airtight by sealing with clay or dung. Old pits were
converted into waste dumps, burials, or latrines. Outside the
fence were an acre or two of fields of wheat and barley, and
sometimes oats and rye. Wheat and rye were sown in the fall, and
oats and barley in the spring. Sowing was by men or two oxen
drawing a simple scratch plow. The crops were all harvested in the
summer. In this two-field system, land was held by peasants in
units designed to support a single extended family.
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