How did Greek farming techniques differ from those used by the Romans? What about the tools of each?
   Aly, 13, San Carlos, California

Dr. dig responds:

The agricultural tools used by the Greek and Roman farmers were fairly similar -- wooden winnowing forks and grain scoops, sieves, pruning hooks for cutting vines, ploughs, ropes, and knives. But the Romans farmed on a far larger scale, making full use of their slave workforce. Greece is not well-suited to large scale arable farming (crop growth) as it is mountainous and suffers from a thin soil. Less than one fifth of the Greek landmass is suitable for growing crops, and so wheat and timber always had to be imported from abroad.