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Semitic-language records of snake melons (Cucumis melo, Cucurbitaceae) in the medieval period and the "piqqus" of the "faqqous"
Year:
2012
Authors :
Paris, Harry
;
.
Volume :
59
Co-Authors:
Paris, H.S., Department of Vegetable Crops and Plant Genetics, Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, P.O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay 30-095, Israel
Facilitators :
From page:
31
To page:
38
(
Total pages:
8
)
Abstract:
The snake melon, Cucumis melo subsp. melo Flexuosus Group, is a cucurbit crop that was grown and esteemed in Mediterranean lands in antiquity and classical times. Images of snake melons appear in ancient Egyptian wall paintings and sculptures and in mosaics from the Roman Empire. The sikyos of Greek, the cucumis of Latin, and the qishu'im of Hebrew, thought by many to be cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, have now been identified as snake melons. Less iconographic and written evidence exists concerning the appreciation of snake melons during the medieval period. The present work focuses on some philologically based evidence of the importance of snake melons leading into and including the medieval period, with two specific objectives. One was to trace the records of the Hebrew epithet piqqus, which applied to removal of the hairs of young cucurbit fruits, and the Arabic epithet faqqous, used historically and to the present day to designate snake melons. Another objective was to re-affirm how piqqus was actually conducted, as mandated in the second-century code of Jewish Oral Law known as the Mishna. Various conjugational forms of the Hebrew word piqqus were found in writings dating from 200 CE to approximately 600 CE. Evidence is presented that further establishes the exact meaning of piqqus as the rubbing off of the hairs of young cucurbit fruits. The Arabic word faqqous was found in writings dating from the beginning of the tenth century and through to the end of the medieval period in the fifteenth century, the writers hailing from Andalusia in the west to Iraq in the east. These writings suggest that the snake melon was a familiar vegetable across a wide geographic belt throughout the medieval period. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Note:
Related Files :
agricultural history
Cucumis melo
Cucumis sativus
Cucurbitaceae
Cucurbits
historical record
Medieval crops
Spain
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More details
DOI :
10.1007/s10722-011-9664-y
Article number:
Affiliations:
Database:
Scopus
Publication Type:
article
;
.
Language:
English
Editors' remarks:
ID:
25625
Last updated date:
02/03/2022 17:27
Creation date:
17/04/2018 00:16
Scientific Publication
Semitic-language records of snake melons (Cucumis melo, Cucurbitaceae) in the medieval period and the "piqqus" of the "faqqous"
59
Paris, H.S., Department of Vegetable Crops and Plant Genetics, Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya'ar Research Center, P.O. Box 1021, Ramat Yishay 30-095, Israel
Semitic-language records of snake melons (Cucumis melo, Cucurbitaceae) in the medieval period and the "piqqus" of the "faqqous"
The snake melon, Cucumis melo subsp. melo Flexuosus Group, is a cucurbit crop that was grown and esteemed in Mediterranean lands in antiquity and classical times. Images of snake melons appear in ancient Egyptian wall paintings and sculptures and in mosaics from the Roman Empire. The sikyos of Greek, the cucumis of Latin, and the qishu'im of Hebrew, thought by many to be cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, have now been identified as snake melons. Less iconographic and written evidence exists concerning the appreciation of snake melons during the medieval period. The present work focuses on some philologically based evidence of the importance of snake melons leading into and including the medieval period, with two specific objectives. One was to trace the records of the Hebrew epithet piqqus, which applied to removal of the hairs of young cucurbit fruits, and the Arabic epithet faqqous, used historically and to the present day to designate snake melons. Another objective was to re-affirm how piqqus was actually conducted, as mandated in the second-century code of Jewish Oral Law known as the Mishna. Various conjugational forms of the Hebrew word piqqus were found in writings dating from 200 CE to approximately 600 CE. Evidence is presented that further establishes the exact meaning of piqqus as the rubbing off of the hairs of young cucurbit fruits. The Arabic word faqqous was found in writings dating from the beginning of the tenth century and through to the end of the medieval period in the fifteenth century, the writers hailing from Andalusia in the west to Iraq in the east. These writings suggest that the snake melon was a familiar vegetable across a wide geographic belt throughout the medieval period. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Scientific Publication
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