![]() ![]() “It seems to us significant that the residue of fish bones left at the bottom of Inv. The analysts of these bones reached the following conclusion: More telling perhaps is the discovery of a pot fragment with the remains of many small fish bones (inv. During excavation there, a jar (apparently of the Herodian era) with a garum label was found. There is, however, related evidence that suggests that special garum for Jews did exist in Roman antiquity, namely the presence of garum (and allec) jars at sites known to have Jewish inhabitants, namely Masada. It is debatable whether these labelled jars held garum produced specifically for Jews, or even were made in a particular way that did not violate Jewish food prohibitions. The other terms represented in these dipinti deal either with the type of fish used ( scomber = mackerel) or the specific producer (Umbricia Fortunata is attested on other garum jars hers was a family associated with fish products). 5660 (published as ///////VM CɅST) and 5661 (published as gɅR CɅST / aB VMBRICIɅ FORTUNATA). 5662 (published as CAR CɅST / SCOMBRI/////FORTUNATI). ![]() I see at least CIL IV 2569 (published as and said to come from the temple of Mercury–presumably the temple of Genius Augusti) and CIL IV Supp. Whatever the exact meaning of Pliny’s passage may be, there are other examples of the label GARCAST vel sim. The Budé edition is more aggressive than the Loeb in resolving the problematic text, printing squama carentibus (fish not lacking scales), though this makes little sense given that in the next sentence Pliny goes on to enumerate aquatic animals without scales! Though I have not seen images of them, Leiden LIP 7 (apparently not digitized) and Leiden VLF 061 (digitized but behind a steep paywall) are reported to read squamamaceretnentib, which again suggests some confusion in the text in this passage. BnF Latin 6795 gives us the Loeb text (but with the ad before castimoniarum):įlorence, Biblioteca Riccardiana 488, folio 141 verso image source: Biblioteca Riccardiana The earliest surviving evidence for this passage seems to be ninth century manuscripts. I suspect that it may be a textual problem. So, we would seem to have a reference to a group of Jews with a different set of food rules, or an example of Pliny being confused, or a corrupt text. This idea seems to conflict with the rule in Leviticus 11:9-11, which expressly forbids the consumption of aquatic creatures that lack scales (in the Vulgate version: quicquid autem pinnulas et squamas non habet). The biggest curiosity is the notion that a particularly Jewish food would contain pisces squamis carentes–fish that lack scales. It is clear that there is something unusual here–either about the text or about Pliny’s facts or about the Jews being described. 2 castimoniarum superstitioni etiam sacrisque Iudaeis dicatum, quod fit e piscibus squama carentibus.īut another kind b is devoted to superstitious sex-abstinence and Jewish rites, and is made from fish without scales.Ģ ad codd.: est Mayhoff: post ad lacunam indicat Detlefsen.īAs allex is feminine, and aliud neuter, it seems best to suppose that there is a lacuna here, but Pliny may be thinking of garum, to which he has just reverted. The larger context is a discussion of garum, and the immediate context is the use of allec (or alec or allex) a sedimentary byproduct of garum that was also consumed by Romans: aliud vero. The Loeb edition prints the following text and translation (along with the accompanying notes below). The resolution of the abbreviation GARCAST to garum castimoniarum depends on a reference in Pliny the Elder ( Natural History 31.44), but the meaning of this passage is unclear, and the manuscript evidence for this passage looks pretty messy. The inscription on the bottle GARCAST shows it was garum castimoniarum (kosher), for the Jewish market.” “The painted inscription says it contained garum, a popular fermented fish sauce, and a vital part of Roman cuisine. The didactic tag at the museum states the following: Garum jar, British Museum 1856,1226.337 image source: Brent Nongbri, 2023 ![]()
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