Week 5: The Watermill

Water power
Hydropower makes 19% of the energy produced on the plant.

Historically this number was much higher

Watermills
In the ancient world -> watermills used as grists

Gound up


 * Salt
 * Grains

In Crete, there were thousands of watermills -> today there is one.

Technological Choice -> In the case of choice, the most efficient technique should win out.

Crete
Located on a tectonic plate

Has four distinct mountain ranges -> between each of which is a ravine with common river

Seasonal water flows fed watermills in the pass.

How mills work


The mill works by forcing a water flow through a lete

The water goes through smaller and smaller piping -> causing the water to become pressurized as it falls

It is then released into/at a horizontal wheel -> forcing the wheel to move

This type of mill is called a "Greek Mill" or a "Horizontal Mill."

You can actually adjust the distance between the mill stones to make different grits

Social Logic of Miller
In Greece, the miller is like the American milkman -> "a ladies man"

Why does the Greek miller persist?


 * Heritage
 * Best technological option? (no)
 * Greek Miller claims he does it to enjoy the pleasures of young women away from his wife

Wheat
Wheat needs to be "threshed" -> separated wheat from husk

Many ways of doing this


 * Threshing floors
 * Stationary threshing
 * Threshing material and tools

The presence of material (wheat) also enables the miller to exist

Which is