| caption: |
Chapter One. The Material Background |
| caption: |
granaries, doors and bolts, contents |
| text: |
To both sides of a flight of stone steps which led up to the village stood granaries, small houses with gabled, thatched roofs, which were built on piles 2 -- 3 feet above the ground. Each comprised a storeroom and an open veranda, and here young lovers seeking privacy often spent the night. The owners of the granaries welcomed such nocturnal visitors for their presence lessened the danger from grain thieves. Besides, there was the belief that copulation in a granary promoted the fertility of the seed stored there. A strong double door fastened with wooden bolts barred the entrance to the storehouse, and here, in a rectangular room, stood large store baskets containing rice and millet. |
