Hooray! It's time for our weekly collaboration with the What is it? blog. Today's mystery object is shown to the left. Can you guess what it is for?
Place your guess in the comment section. No prize this week, so you're playing for bragging rights only.
For more clues and larger pic, check out the What is it? blog. Good luck!
Update 11/14/08 - the answer is:A raising fork for telegraph poles, this lineman's tool was used to support one end of a pole during up-ending. Although it does resemble a Japanese Sasumata, which is used by firefighters and police, patent number 781,973 shows a similar fork that was invented in 1904. The bottom of this page has a photo of larger versions of this tool in use.
Lots of very good guesses, guys!
One wonders how often slaves/prisoners were pinned to the ground that a special tool was created just for the job.
Or why so many readers guess "medieval torture device"?
It's for moving sheaves of wheat and/or hay.