The pantropheon: or, History of food, and its preparation, from the earliest ages of the world / by A. Soyer. Embellished with forty-two steel plates, illustrating the greatest gastronomic marvels of antiquity.

  • Soyer, Alexis, 1809-1858.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The pantropheon: or, History of food, and its preparation, from the earliest ages of the world / by A. Soyer. Embellished with forty-two steel plates, illustrating the greatest gastronomic marvels of antiquity. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    on tillage and sowing, and also on the gathering of olives, on the tithes which wero paid to the priests, and the portion set aside for t le poor. They also mention some species of excellent wheat, barley, rice, figs, dates, &c., which were gathered in Judea. The soil of this delicious country was astonishingly ieitile, t icopeia tion of tillage was easy, and the cattle here supplied a greater abundance of milk than anywhere else ;>* we will just remark that even the names of several localities indicate some of these advantages. For instance, Capernaum signified a beautiful country town ; Gennesareth, the garden of the groves; Bethsaida, the house of plenty ; Nain was indebted for its sweet name to the beauty of its situation; and Magdela. on the borders of the sea of Galilee, to its site, and the happy life of its inha- Next to the Hebrews, in agriculture, came the Egyptians, a strange and fantastical people, who raised the imperishable pyramids, the statue of Memnon, and the lighthouse of Alexandria, and who yet prayed re giouslv every morning to their goddess-aradish, or their gods leel an Whatever there may be of folly and rare industry in this mix- ture, we cannot but agree that the art of agriculture was very ancient in Egvpt, as die father of the faithful-Abraham-retired into hat country at a time of famine; and, later, the sons of Jacob went there also to purchase corn.19 We know that the Romans called this province tie granary^ empire, and that the, drew from it every vein twenty million bushels^ corn 20 If we are to believe the Egyptians, Osms, son o • u\ hence a demi-god of good family), taught them the art of tilling t e ground by aid of the plough. This instrument, we may easily believe was much less complicated than ours of the present day; the, is no doubt that in the beginning, and for a great lengi 1 o time a tin DESCRIPTION OF PLATE No. I. No. 1. Represents un Egyptian labourer tilling the ground Hh a P«*“e Egypt, from piunt- at Thebes, by Mons. Neotoul, member of the commission of the French cspccl.t.on W ings in the subterranean vaults of Mimch. Eimitian figures hold as an attribute ; No. 2. Is a sketch of the plough, wh oh a great gIlided by a labourer, this was taken from the subterranean vault of Eilcithya, > whilst a third, placed by the and drawn by oxen tied by the horns and whipped ae««dlab^ ^ earlh. side of the oxen, throws before them the seeds which lllt nf Thebes geen painted a sower, No. 3. A basket to carry the seeds. On the tombs of with a basket like this, an attribute which is seen hanging on the l a 'and Denon, of the No. 4. Represents an Egyptian with a sickle, much like in shape to a scythe, French expedition, proved that corn was also cut with u scythe.