Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Ford of the Day




Ford of the Day

is the word 'ford' itself.

a 'ford' is a point at a river where it is possible to cross it without a bridge by wading, on horseback, or in a wheeled vehicle. 'To ford' or 'fording' a river means crossing it. People prefered such places for settlements in ancient times. Names of many towns and villages are derived from such places, e.g. Oxford (a ford where oxen crossed the river), or Stratford (a ford on a Roman road). The german word 'furt' has the same meaning. The names of cities like Frankfurt (Germany) and Klagenfurt (Austria) can also be traced back this way.

The image shows people with their cattle fording a ford in ancient Egypte. It's a painting found in a burial chamber around 2500 B.C.

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