Two young men prepare the field using a simple harrow pulled by a horse. One man follows behind the harrow. He is wearing a short tunic and his hood is pushed back. The other man goes in front of the horse, guiding it, and using a whip to drive it forward. Two birds fly overhead.

Harrowing a Field for Farming in the Middle Ages

Two young men prepare the field using a simple harrow pulled by a horse. One man follows behind the…

"And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them: and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them: and others fell upon the good ground, and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." Matthew 13:3-8
<p> Illustration of a man sowing seed. Around the man are rocky places, birds, thorns, and good soil. There is a bag of seed in the background.

Parable of the Sower

"And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and as he…

"And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them:" Matthew 13:3-4 ASV
<p>Illustration of a man sowing seed. He tosses the seed onto rocks. The plowed fields stretch out behind him. A bag of seed is sitting in the field. Birds are eating the seed that fell on the road. More birds approach in the background The man is wearing a short tunic and he is wearing a bag over his shoulder and across his body.

The Parable of the Sower - Birds Eat the Seed by the Wayside

"And he spake to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and as he…

"Early Egyptian Pictures. Ploughing, breaking clods, and sowing."&mdash;Gordy, 1912

Early Egyptian Pictures

"Early Egyptian Pictures. Ploughing, breaking clods, and sowing."—Gordy, 1912

A man walking over a field and sowing seeds.

Sower

A man walking over a field and sowing seeds.

A man spreading seeds.

Sower

A man spreading seeds.

"Egyptian Sowing. The people were mainly agricultural, but employed rude methods of cultivation. In spite of this, the remarkably fertile soil yielded an abundance of produce, and Egypt was known as the granary of the world."&mdash;Colby, 1899

Sowing

"Egyptian Sowing. The people were mainly agricultural, but employed rude methods of cultivation. In…