Yoke for carrying buckets

Known in Mesopotamia and Egypt as early as 3500 BC, the yoke originated with the domestication and use of animals for agricultural work. Men could also use yokes like this one to carry heavy weights. Resting on the shoulders behind the neck, it efficiently spreads the weight and the carrier can easily lift weights of 25 kilos, such as buckets of water or milk. Despite the increasing mechanisation at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the yoke was still widely used in agriculture for carrying commodities over short distances.