Shebaa’s Water
Mills
Not only was the water mill the first automatic machine
invented by man, but also the most important factor
towards the development of agriculture and artisanship
of the Orient in the Middle Ages. The water mill was
also at the basis of the European industrial evolution
as of the late Middle Ages.
The Technical Principle of Water Mills
Water mills, from the technical point of view, are
constituted from two flat horizontal circular stones
positioned on top of each other. The upper one is
pierced at its center to allow the grains to fall.
The milling operation occurs as a result of friction
between the upper and lower stones. This system is
a hydraulic adaptation of a more primitive manual
one that dates back to the 7th century B.C.
Water mills are divided into two main types based
on the position of the water-wheel: vertical, which
requires a right-angle gear; or horizontal, the more
primitive type, in which case the rotating millstone
can be attached directly to the same vertical shaft
as is the situation in Chebaa.
History, types and Geographic Distribution
Archeological evidence of the existence of the vertical
water-wheel came shortly after: ruins were found in
southern Italy and Switzerland in the first century
A.D. There are other examples of the same system covering
the remaining period after the first century A.D.,
mostly in Western Europe in areas of wide rivers and
relatively flat plains.
The primitive, horizontal-wheeled mill is most common
in mountainous terrain, where small brooks can be
exploited by a higher head and greater velocity.
According to some references, the vast majority of
the allegedly early, horizontal-wheeled mills are
of the so-called drop-tower type all deriving from
areas south or east of the Mediterranean. Ancient
examples have been alleged from Palestine, Lebanon,
Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, but none has been shown
conclusively to belong to the time before the Arab
conquest. The most promising find so far is a mill
at the Crocodilian River, Palestine (Mount Karmel),
dated by carbon 14 analysis to A.D. 345/380. However,
experts found a text dating back to the first century
B.C. written by Antipater of Thessalonica, a Greek
poet. They interpreted this text as a description
of the horizontal wheel.
There are grounds for believing that horizontal water
wheels were first developed in the Middle East, within
the geographical boundaries of ancient Palestine,
Lebanon, and Syria. However, it was commonly thought
different as a result of Antipater's epigram that
recorded the invention of the apparatus. It is usually
held that the horizontal water-wheel made its first
appearance in Greece. Seventeen century editors of
the Greek Anthology thought Antipater to be Antipater
of Thessalonica in Macedonia, a poet of the first
century B.C. Some scholars have expressed the opinion
that the Antipater who wrote this epigram was the
one born in Tyre, who resided in Sidon during the
second century B.C. and was called Antipater of Sidon.
Should this be the case, it would follow that the
first literary reference to the water wheel comes
from Phoenicia. On the basis of the data now available
it seems reasonable to assume that the horizontal
wheel for water mills originated in the mountains
of Galilee and in the coastal plain between Acre and
Sidon; and furthermore, that it was developed here
before its appearance in Greece and Asia Minor.
These wheels seem to have been constructed by analogy
with the potter's wheel which is rotated horizontally
by foot. The system is very similar as it has a lower
disk for rotation and an upper one for treatment,
situated in between a rotation shaft.
This method of exploiting water is probably the result
of the local tradition in agriculture, irrigation,
artisan technology, and building engineering. The
fact that the horizontal wheel is so commonly spread
in the Hasbaya region where pottery production is
closely associated with one of its villages Rashaya
el Fokhar could explain further the relationship between
the potter's wheel and the horizontal wheeled mill.
Shebaa’s Water Mills
Among all the mills in Lebanon, and these exceed 500,
there are six sub-types of the horizontal water-wheel
mill. Shebaa alone has two of these sub-types: one
that treats dry grains through what is called a “Mathaneh”
and another that has a double function, that of treating
dry grains and extracting oil from olive residue through
what is called “Matruf”.
Information resulting from a field survey indicates
that Shebaa mills are about 500 years old but the
technical analysis and comparison allows us to suppose
that the mills are actually much older than this especially
that Shebaa's sub-type proved to be the most primitive
among all of Lebanon's mills.
Historically, the network of people seeking the services
of Shebaa's water mills is very wide. They used to
flock from the entire Hasbaya region better know as
the "Arqoub." Traditionally, it was the
location of a specific economic activity whereby people
used to pay for the grinding service 12.5% of the
wheat or the raw material of any grain. Beyond it
being a liew for traditional economic activity, water-mills
were core to social interaction as they were a meeting
place for men and women and different communities
from different backgrounds and villages.
The water-mill was the place where people danced,
ate, and loved each other. The man who was operating
the last functioning mill in Shebaa before Mercy Corps'
rehabilitation process had met and fell in love with
his current wife at the water-mill.
Dr. Moheb Nader Chanesaz
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