Sickle
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
For the fictional unit of money called a "sickle", see Money in Harry Potter.
A sickle is a curved, hand-held agricultural tool typically used for harvesting grain crops before the advent of modern harvesting machinery. It consists of a curved blade with a short, one-hand handle attached. The inside of the curve is sharp, so that the user can swing the blade against the base of the crop, catching it in the curve and slicing it at the same time.
A blade which is used to cut the silica-rich stems of cereal crops aquires a characteristic sickle-gloss, or wear pattern. When this pattern appears on ancient stone tools, it can indicate early use or development of agriculture.
In Greek myths, the sickle was used as a weapon by Cronus and Perseus.
See also
de:Sichel
et:Sirp
ja:鎌
pl:Sierp
