Also called Sexton Beetles, these beetles bury the carcasses of small vertebrates as food for their larvae. This illustration shows four beetles, one flying, working to bury a dead bird on its back.

Burying Beetles, Burying a Dead Bird

Also called Sexton Beetles, these beetles bury the carcasses of small vertebrates as food for their…

A gabion is an open cylinder made of brushwood, canvas, wire-netting, or iron bands used in fortification. Filled with loose earth, gabions are placed on end, in tiers, to form a wall behind which earth can be piled. They are usually constructed on location and made up of whatever materials are on hand.

Gabion

A gabion is an open cylinder made of brushwood, canvas, wire-netting, or iron bands used in fortification.…

An agricultural tool used for flattening land and breaking up large pieces of dirt.

Iron Roller

An agricultural tool used for flattening land and breaking up large pieces of dirt.

This specification discloses a land leveler comprising a massive rectangular frame including reinforced side bars and three crossbars that engage the ground surface for leveling purposes.

Land Leveler

This specification discloses a land leveler comprising a massive rectangular frame including reinforced…

Two medieval peasants, a man and woman, break clods of earth apart with mallets. The man is swinging his mallet, while the woman appears to be resting on hers. The man is wearing a short tunic and a hood. The woman wears a long dress and a head-covering.

Peasants Using Mallets to Break Clods of Earth Before Farming the Land

Two medieval peasants, a man and woman, break clods of earth apart with mallets. The man is swinging…

Land before and after ploughing.

Ploughing

Land before and after ploughing.

An agricultural tool used for flattening land and breaking up large pieces of dirt.

Press-Wheel Roller

An agricultural tool used for flattening land and breaking up large pieces of dirt.

Reynard the Fox and Isegrim the wolf fight each other. Reynard kicks dirt and sand up in Isegrim's eyes.

Reynard the Fox: Fighting the Wolf

Reynard the Fox and Isegrim the wolf fight each other. Reynard kicks dirt and sand up in Isegrim's eyes.

An illustration of a man walking along a dirt road.

Dirt Road

An illustration of a man walking along a dirt road.

"A crumb of soil (magnified). The white spaces represent air."—Finley, 1917

Crumb of soil

"A crumb of soil (magnified). The white spaces represent air."—Finley, 1917

A gardening tool used for digging, smoothing, and otherwise moving around small amounts of soil or dirt.

Trowel

A gardening tool used for digging, smoothing, and otherwise moving around small amounts of soil or dirt.