fish in the streams.
Some men brought their hunting dogs on leashes to follow scent trails
to the animal. The men threw stones and spears with flint points at the
animals. They used wood clubs to beat them, at the same time using
wood shields to protect their bodies. They watched the phases of the
moon and learned to predict when it would be full and give the most
light for night hunting. This began the concept of a month. Circles of
stone like Stonehenge were built with alignments to paths of the moon.
If hunting groups from two clans tried to follow the same deer, there
might be a fight between the clans or a blood feud. After the battle, the
clan would bring back its dead and wounded. A priest officiated over a
funeral for a dead man. His wife would often also go on the funeral
pyre with him.
The priest also officiated over sacrifices of humans, who were usually
offenders found guilty of transgressions. Sacrifices were usually made
in time of war or pestilence, and usually before the winter made food
scarce.
The clan ate deer that had been cooked on a spit over a fire, and fruits
and vegetables which had been gathered by the women. They drank
water from springs. In the spring, food was plentiful. There were eggs
of different colors in nests and many hare to eat. The goddess Easter
was celebrated at this time.
After this hunting and gathering era, there was farming and
domestication of animals such as horses, pigs, sheep, goats, chicken,
and cattle. Of these, the pig was the most important meat supply, being
killed and salted for winter use. Next in importance were the cattle.
Sheep were kept primarily for their wool. Flocks and herds were taken
to pastures. The male cattle, with wood yokes, pulled ploughs in the
fields of barley and wheat. The female goat and cow provided milk,
butter, and cheese. The chickens provided eggs. The hoe, spade, and
grinding stone were used. Thread was spun with a hand-held spindle
which one hand held while the other hand alternately formed the thread
from a mass and then wound it around the spindle. A coarse cloth was
woven and worn as a tunic which had been cut from the cloth. Kings
wore tunics decorated with sheet gold. Decorated pottery was made
from clay and used to hold liquids and for food preparation and
consumption. During the period of "lent" [from the word "lencten",
which means spring], it was forbidden to eat any meat or fish. This was
the season in which many animals were born and grew to maturity.
Wood carts with four wheels were used to transport produce and
manure. Horses were used for transportation of people or goods. Wood
dug-out boats and paddles were used to fish on rivers or on the
seacoast.
Clans had settlements near rivers. Each settlement had a meadow, for
the mowing of hay, and a simple mill, with round timber huts, covered
with branches or thatch or turf supported by a ring of posts. 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 granaries 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 basket work 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. These fields were usually enclosed
with a hedge to keep animals from eating the crop and to define the
territory
Continue reading on your phone by scaning this QR Code
Tip: The current page has been bookmarked automatically. If you wish to continue reading later, just open the
Dertz Homepage, and click on the 'continue reading' link at the bottom of the page.