A new kind of segmented mill from Africa Proconsularis

Abstract

Abstract This paper attempts an overview of new kind of segmented mill, examples of which have been found at Thysdrus (El Jem) and Zama in Africa Proconsularis. These grain mills are quite different morphologically and technically from other mills in the ancient Mediterranean world. These rare archaeological finds are not discussed in the ancient literature or in modern scholarship, leaving them difficult to understand. This article explores the history of segmented mills and the operation and dating of this African mill type.