A hoe is an ancient and versatile agricultural and horticultural hand tool used to shape soil, remove weeds, clear soil and harvest root crops. Shaping the soil with a hoe includes piling soil around the base of plants, a practice called hilling, and digging narrow furrows or shallow trenches for planting seeds or bulbs. Weeding with a hoe includes agitating the surface of the soil or cutting foliage from roots, and clearing the soil of old roots and crop residue; hoes built for digging and moving soil are also used to harvest root crops such as potatoes.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)Documented by circa the 18th century BC (Code of Hammurabi) and circa the 8th century BC (Book of Isaiah); also depicted in predynastic Egyptian art. 1 OriginDescribed as an ancient technology predating the plough, with the digging stick as its only possible predecessor. 1 Introduced era (class) In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Hoe (Tool) (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, Egypt and Mesopotamia paragraph
The hand-plough (mr) was depicted in predynastic Egyptian art, and hoes are also mentioned in ancient documents like the Code of Hammurabi (ca. 18th century BC) and the Book of Isaiah (c. 8th century BC).
History section, opening sentence
Hoes are an ancient technology, predating the plough and perhaps preceded only by the digging stick.
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