The scythe was the main agricultural tool used for harvesting cereals, and its name derives from the word “messe”. It is composed of a curved crescent-shaped blade with a pointed end, fixed to a short wooden handle. The production of this type of sickles, in various shapes and materials, is documented from the Neolithic period and remained in use until the mechanization of harvesting.
To cut with the scythe, the ears of corn were grabbed in handfuls (called mannelli) with the left hand, and the stems were cut by moving the tool towards oneself with the right hand (and vice versa for left-handed people). Before use, the blade of the scythe was beaten on anvils with a hammer and periodically sharpened with the whetstone, a natural abrasive stone, which each scytheman kept in a cow horn filled with water. Even today it is used for small jobs such as cleaning the edges of hedges, while similar tools such as the billhook and the sickle are used for clearing branches, cutting rushes and pruning vines.