From around 1,600 BC, metal-shod wooden spades were employed in China; the Romans were the first to use metal spades in Europe. Pliny said that the pala, which was recognizable as a spade with a broad blade, was the best implement for breaking up rushing ground. Even older are hoes.
A spade is a digging instrument with a long handle and flat blade that is often narrower and flatter than a conventional shovel.[1] Early spades were constructed from animal bones, frequently shoulder blades, or from riven wood. Spades were created with metal tips that were sharper once the craft of metalworking was discovered. Manual labor was less effective in moving earth before metal spades were invented because picks were needed in addition to a spade to move the dirt. The majority of the time, a spade's efficiency is increased by having a metal tip that can shatter and move ground.
A traditional spade is used to dig post holes because it has a narrow body and a flat or nearly flat tip. This is different from a "roundpoint" shovel, which has a larger body with a tapered tip.Spades come in a wide range of sizes and forms, are used for a wide range of tasks, and are constructed using a wide range of distinct designs.
The terms "shovel" and "spade" are frequently used interchangeably, but shovel is a general term for a variety of tools, including many broad-bottomed versions for moving loose materials, such as "coal shovels," "snow shovels," and "grain shovels," etc., whereas spades typically have a sharpened edge, curved profile, and pointed end better suited for digging. It should be noted that the name "garden spade" is applied to specific instruments with square ends and sharp edges that are useful for cutting through sod.
Ancient rakes, spades, sickles, scythes, and other implements have been discovered all over the world.