Flour, defined as an edible powder made from crushed organic material, is at least 30,000 years old, and quite likely quite a bit older than that. This photo essay examines some of the archaeological evidence for the production of flour.
Edible flours were created in the past by crushing any one or several wild and cultivated grains, nuts, bones, and even small animals. Non-edible flours often are produced by using the same or similar processing equipment, to macerate clay for pottery or for the production of paint pigments.
In its simplest form, grinding anything into flour requires simple equipment: two pieces of coarse stone. The bottom stone, generally the heavier one of the two, is placed on the floor or other stable place, and the material to be turned into flour is placed on the top of it. The second, generally lighter stone is placed on the top of the foodstuff. Rocking, sliding, pounding and rolling pressure is applied to and through the top stone until the material is of sufficient fineness. Pretty simple, eh?
A bibliography has been built for this project. Specific references are cited on the pages they are referenced.
