Before granulated sugar or sugar cubes were available to buy, most households got their sugar in the form of a sugar loaf. These loafs were blocks of solid sugar which required special tools to cut and break off what was needed while leaving the rest of the loaf intact for later use. These sugar nips have a large handle and wide base which means they were designed to be set on a counter top to breakdown the larger sugar loaves that could be purchased, which smaller handheld nips would struggle to cut.
Stone Macehead with Cuneiform Inscription, Mesopotamia
A stone macehead from Mesopotamia.
