In the process of the development of civilization in the East and the West, although they have taken two different paths, there are many similarities between the two. For example, stone mills have appeared in both the East and the West, and experts have excavated stone mills at the pompeii site, but they are not the same as ancient Chinese stone mills. After in-depth research, experts have figured out the difference between the two kinds of stone grinding, so which stone grinding is better to use? If you also want to know, the following small series to give you the secret from scratch.
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In the primitive social period, the ancients were the first to grow rice, in order to dehull the rice, they invented the earliest stone grinding board, the rice on the stone grinding board with a stone rod back and forth to remove the rice husk. In the process, the ancients found that some rice was easier to cook after being crushed, so they found flour. Later, when planting wheat, they also ground wheat, but the efficiency of the stone grinding plate was too slow, so after improvement, they invented the stone mortar, that is, the wheat was put into the stone trough and pounded with a stone stick, which also improved the labor efficiency. However, the stone mortar also has a disadvantage, the wheat flour mashed out is not delicate enough, and sometimes it sticks together into a lump. Finally, the ancients stacked two stone grinding plates on top of each other and rolled them back together, and this is the prototype of the stone grinding.
Archaeological studies have shown that the earliest molded stone mills on the mainland were excavated from the Mancheng Han tombs, dating back about 2100 years, and consisted of two stone mills and a bronze funnel. It was not until the Jin Dynasty that the stone mill was finalized, and it has not changed for more than 1,000 years. For many readers, they must have seen the stone mill, which is composed of two stone slabs of the same size, usually round, large and small in diameter, the largest can reach more than two meters, it takes three or four people to push, and the general household stone grinding diameter is less than 1 meter, usually a person can easily grind it. The stone mill looks simple, but the inside can be very interesting, because the two contacting stone slabs inside have regular gullies, and the gullies from the inside to the outside are getting shallower and shallower, and the grain falls from the central hole, stuck in the gully and rubbed back and forth to become powder.
Until now, some of the stone mills used in handicraft workshops are still ancient stone mills, which we also call flat mills. However, in Western countries, stone grinding is a little different, such as Pompeii stone grinding. Pompeii was the second largest city in the Roman period, in the same period as the Eastern Han Dynasty on the mainland, but unfortunately Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic eruptions and was not discovered by Western archaeologists until more than 1700 years later. While cleaning up the ruins of Pompeii, experts found a well-preserved ancient stone mill in a workshop site.
Pompeii stone grinding shape is peculiar, it is composed of three parts of stone pier, grinding disc and wooden handle, stone pier height of about 45 cm, diameter of about 40 cm, grinding disc is also two pieces up and down, but unique in that it is two cones, the two upper cones overlap together to form a grinding surface, and then the handle is inserted into the groove of the upper grinding disc. For Western archaeologists, such a Pompeii stone mill may not be surprising at all, but we are accustomed to seeing the ancient stone grinding on the mainland and feel very awkward, so some experts have begun to wonder which stone grinding is more scientific.
Compared with Chinese stone grinding and Pompeii stone grinding, the biggest difference is that the grinding disc is different, the former is a disc, the latter is a cone, which also leads to a different contact area of the grinding disc, the former area is larger, the latter area is smaller. Based on the physics knowledge we have learned, it is easy to conclude that in the case of the same friction coefficient, the smaller the contact area, the smaller the friction force, the easier and less labor-saving to push, and the larger the contact area, the vice versa. Therefore, Pompeii stone grinding is easier to push than Chinese stone grinding. However, there is another problem that cannot be ignored, that is, the larger the contact area, the more thorough and delicate the flour is ground, so the Chinese stone grinding is better because of the large contact area.
Experts have come to the final conclusion, Chinese stone grinding and Pompeii stone grinding have their own strengths, the former is characterized by fine grinding, the latter is characterized by easy grinding. Think about it, this may be fish and bear paws can not be both, Chinese pay attention to quality, would rather work hard to make the best quality products, and Pompeii people pay attention to work efficiency, in the fastest, easiest way to finish the work, as for the result is almost on it.
The emergence of stone mills is the inevitable development of civilized society, Chinese stone mills and Pompeii stone mills are independent, there is no cultural exchange between the two, although the two have differences in shape, but the principle is the same. It can be seen from this that the development of civilization has its own internal laws, and this law is beyond the intervention of human beings.
Resources:
"Three Days in Pompeii" by Alberto Angela Publishing House: China Social Sciences Press
Wenlan Hairun Studio Editor-in-Chief Wen Xiucai, this article is written by: Special History Writer: Liu Lijiang's