History of ancient silo pit

A silo (from the Greek siros, “pit for holding grain”) is a structure for storing bulk materials. Modern silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain and other materials. Silos for the storage of grain have been an essential aspect of all agricultural communities throughout the ages. Harvested crops need to be kept for at least a year until the next harvest.

The climate of Egypt being very dry, grain could be stored in pits for a long time without sensible loss of quality. The silo pit, as it has been termed, has been a favorite way of storing grain from time immemorial in all oriental lands. In Turkey and Persia usurers used to buy up wheat or barley when comparatively cheap, and store it in hidden pits against seasons of dearth.

In France and Spain, and other parts of Europe, grain was preserved in trenches, dug in the ground, at the time of Pliny, who mentions in certain of his writings that "the best plan of preserving grain is to lay it up in trenches dug in a dry soil, called siri, as they do in Cappadocia, Thracia, Spain, and in Africa."

The Egyptian silos were evidently of a more improved and permanent nature than the rude trenches above. In Egypt, the harvesting season (March to May) was when crops were harvested and seeds were collected for the next year’s planting. During this time, grain was stored in large silos and farmers prepared their canals and levees for the next flood.

The administrative building and silos were at the heart of the ancient community. Because grain was a form of currency, the silos functioned as a bank and a food source. The silos' size indicates the community was apparently a prosperous urban center.

Grain storage is an old technology in the Nubian region (encompasses parts of southern Egypt and northern Sudan) and can be simply classified into three categories: rooms, holes and jars. Underground holes may be small pits or a large hole with walls that are sometimes supported by bricks, stones or are solidified by burring the walls of the hole. Other food storage pits from the Neolithic (6000- 4000 BC) were discovered in the Tkulainos site in eastern Sudan.

Underground silos are generally considered to have functioned as containers for storing plant products, particularly cereals, and they are most often characterized by their shape and volume. Traditionally, their morphology is determined by a combination of factors, and has been linked to their underlying geology and the product intended for storage.

Small-scale storage evolved to more sophisticated grain storage bins. These bins kept the crop safe from the elements and elevated from the ground. Over time, innovations have further improved grain bin efficiency, with features like perforated floors for retrofitting existing crop storage to new ones, moisture and temperature control mechanisms and varying bin depths.

The first modern silo, a wooden one, was invented and built in 1873 by Fred Hatch in McHenry County, Illinois. He did it after trying to figure out how to store grain at his family farm while also combating grain spoilage.
History of ancient silo pit

Grain silo in ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians measured wealth in grain. They built silos and filled them with wheat and barley. The administrative building and silos were at the heart of the ancient community. Because grain was a form of currency, the silos functioned as a bank and a food source. The silos' size indicates the community was apparently a prosperous urban center.

Early people likely used the silo to fight against famine. They predominantly stored barley and wheat, and the silos had raised platforms and slight slopes for drainage and moisture protection. The early silos have been discovered in South Egypt that were large enough to support an entire urban community.

The ancient Egyptians made a practice of preserving grain in years of plenty against years of scarcity, and probably Joseph only carried out on a large scale a habitual practice. The climate of Egypt being very dry, grain could be stored in pits for a long time without sensible loss of quality.

Grain silos date back to the Third dynasty (2686-2613) and were utilized extensively in the Djoser Complex designed by Imhotep. In fact, the Step Pyramid seems to have been built on top of a shaft that could originally have been used to store grain. The complex seems to be a grain storage and distribution center.

In Tell Edfu, a 3500-year-old city of Egypt, Egyptians built the large, mud-brick buildings in a city courtyard. They were easy for people to get to. The storage facilities are used as grain depots. The grain bins are in a large silo courtyard of the 17th Dynasty (1630-1520 B.C.) and consist of at least seven round, mud-brick silos. Each silo measures 5.5-6.5 meters across.

Predating the silos was a mud-brick building with 16 wooden columns, dated by pottery and seal impressions found in the hall to the early 13th Dynasty (1773-1650 BC).
Grain silo in ancient Egypt