sickles

A sickle is a handheld agricultural tool with a short, curved blade used for cutting grain or grass. The blade is typically single-edged and strongly curved, enabling a slicing motion with a short, sweeping stroke. The handle is usually short and sturdy, made of wood or metal, allowing one-handed use.

Origins and design: Sickle design appears in the Bronze Age in the Near East and Europe. Early blades were made of flint or obsidian, later bronze and iron, affixed to a short handle. The curved blade concentrates force near the tip, making it efficient for cutting standing stalks. Variation includes different curve radii and blade lengths depending on crop and user preference. In some regions, sickles have a serrated edge or a hooked adaptation to harvest leaves or prune vines; there are also grass sickles and variants with reinforced or foraged handles.

Uses: Primarily for harvesting cereal crops by slicing through stalks at the base, and for gathering grasses for fodder. In traditional agricultural systems, sickles are used before binding into sheaves; in modern farming larger tools or mechanical harvesters have largely supplanted hand sickles, but they remain in use for small plots, delicate crops, or backyard gardens.

Cultural and symbolic aspects: The sickle is a common symbol associated with agriculture and harvest and appears in heraldry and art. Together with the hammer, it has been adopted in political symbolism to represent workers in agriculture and industry in some contexts.

Modern context: Today, sickles are still used in home gardens and in some small-scale farming practices, where delicate crops or precise cutting is required. They are often maintained through sharpening and periodic replacement of blades to preserve cutting efficiency.