Camels and Burdens

The camel as a beast of burden. Through the centuries the camel has been used for carrying burdens. In the Bible, "forty camels' burden," is referred to in one passage (II Kings 8:9); and in another, bread was carried on "asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen" (I Chronicles 12:40). In still another, treasures were to be carried on the humps of camels (Isaiah 30:6). A special packsaddle is used when the animals carry: A narrow bag about eight feet long is made, and rather loosely stuffed with straw or similar material. It is then doubled, and the ends firmly sewn together, so as to form a great ring, which is placed over the hump, and forms a tolerably flat surface. A wooden framework is tied on the packsaddle, and is kept in its place by a girth and a crupper. The packages which the camel is to carry are fastened together by cords, and slung over the saddle. They are only connected by those semiknots called "hitches," so that when the camel is to be unloaded, all that is needed is to pull the lower end of the rope, and the packages fall on either side of the animal. So quickly is the operation of loading performed, that a couple of experienced men can load a camel in very little more than a minute. [Manners And Customs of Bible Lands]

Read More about Camels and Burdens