Bottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy

Bottle gourds, which are thought to have originated in Africa, have been collected and cultivated in Italy since antiquity for the making of vessels and utensils, as well as food, musical instruments, and fishing buoys (Janick, Paris and Parish, 2007, p.1441). Columella and Pliny the Elder both writ...

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Autor principal:	Brittany Bauer
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	EXARC 2020
Materias:	food music and musical instruments fishing roman era italy Museums. Collectors and collecting AM1-501 Archaeology CC1-960
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/0ebb4ad0fd1440cd8927412a3ee2fd8e
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:0ebb4ad0fd1440cd8927412a3ee2fd8e
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:0ebb4ad0fd1440cd8927412a3ee2fd8e2021-12-01T14:42:34ZBottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy2212-8956https://doaj.org/article/0ebb4ad0fd1440cd8927412a3ee2fd8e2020-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10506https://doaj.org/toc/2212-8956Bottle gourds, which are thought to have originated in Africa, have been collected and cultivated in Italy since antiquity for the making of vessels and utensils, as well as food, musical instruments, and fishing buoys (Janick, Paris and Parish, 2007, p.1441). Columella and Pliny the Elder both write extensively about the uses of bottle gourds, yet the importance of this vegetable in antiquity is notably absent from modern scholarship. The thick skin of the bottle gourd, which may be a trait of domestication, is the reason why the fruit makes such an excellent container (Schlumbaum and Vandorpe 2012, p.500). In order for a household to maintain economic independence, and survive under conditions of crop failure, hardship, and seasonal changes, a well-made storage vessel would have been essential. The functionality and performance of the storage vessel would have determined the longevity of the products inside, and thus directly contributed to the well-being of the user (Villing and Spataro 2015, p.9). Ceramics, the most noted type of vessel used in antiquity, required skill, time, and special equipment to make, and therefore would not have been practical for all poor people to produce or buy. If a poor family grew a crop of bottle gourds, however, not only would they get food from it, but a few gourds left on the vine to harden could easily be transformed into storage vessels, bowls, portable water containers, or utensils. This project is intended to explore the underrepresented aspects of poor culture, using both textual and archaeological information.Brittany BauerEXARCarticlefoodmusic and musical instrumentsfishingroman eraitalyMuseums. Collectors and collectingAM1-501ArchaeologyCC1-960ENEXARC Journal, Iss 2020/2 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	food music and musical instruments fishing roman era italy Museums. Collectors and collecting AM1-501 Archaeology CC1-960
spellingShingle	food music and musical instruments fishing roman era italy Museums. Collectors and collecting AM1-501 Archaeology CC1-960 Brittany Bauer Bottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy
description	Bottle gourds, which are thought to have originated in Africa, have been collected and cultivated in Italy since antiquity for the making of vessels and utensils, as well as food, musical instruments, and fishing buoys (Janick, Paris and Parish, 2007, p.1441). Columella and Pliny the Elder both write extensively about the uses of bottle gourds, yet the importance of this vegetable in antiquity is notably absent from modern scholarship. The thick skin of the bottle gourd, which may be a trait of domestication, is the reason why the fruit makes such an excellent container (Schlumbaum and Vandorpe 2012, p.500). In order for a household to maintain economic independence, and survive under conditions of crop failure, hardship, and seasonal changes, a well-made storage vessel would have been essential. The functionality and performance of the storage vessel would have determined the longevity of the products inside, and thus directly contributed to the well-being of the user (Villing and Spataro 2015, p.9). Ceramics, the most noted type of vessel used in antiquity, required skill, time, and special equipment to make, and therefore would not have been practical for all poor people to produce or buy. If a poor family grew a crop of bottle gourds, however, not only would they get food from it, but a few gourds left on the vine to harden could easily be transformed into storage vessels, bowls, portable water containers, or utensils. This project is intended to explore the underrepresented aspects of poor culture, using both textual and archaeological information.
format	article
author	Brittany Bauer
author_facet	Brittany Bauer
author_sort	Brittany Bauer
title	Bottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy
title_short	Bottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy
title_full	Bottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy
title_fullStr	Bottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy
title_full_unstemmed	Bottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy
title_sort	bottle gourd as an implement for the poor in roman italy
publisher	EXARC
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/0ebb4ad0fd1440cd8927412a3ee2fd8e
work_keys_str_mv	AT brittanybauer bottlegourdasanimplementforthepoorinromanitaly
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Bottle Gourd as an Implement for the Poor in Roman Italy

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